tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74888269279921954852024-02-20T19:42:30.532-08:00fazzledownpa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-22207930370019170202021-05-05T05:02:00.000-07:002021-05-05T05:02:03.317-07:00The day after, ummm, no. The day before tomorrow?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">For the first time, I really don't give a crap who wins the upcoming Scottish election. And in keeping with what seems to be the accepted paradigm for many independence supporters just now - by not having watched any of the leaders debates, or news reports, or any of the other bits of output I usually do - I'm speaking from a position of almost-complete ignorance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG30NX675cK5os28p-aDpVyObqC-7ZOsH2_ey7_w1XcnzVwqQSWf5dx8yK3GgpO_W2TPhpfbnQ1L8DUa2ZbvWDY0OtHcVoqhp_cbewnC_ATVAzJWpWPr9yyEpIGEbHAIm3JX-rvre9lf7/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="550" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG30NX675cK5os28p-aDpVyObqC-7ZOsH2_ey7_w1XcnzVwqQSWf5dx8yK3GgpO_W2TPhpfbnQ1L8DUa2ZbvWDY0OtHcVoqhp_cbewnC_ATVAzJWpWPr9yyEpIGEbHAIm3JX-rvre9lf7/w364-h254/image.png" width="364" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">You'll see why.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">That being said, I've merely pulled up the drawbridge, so to speak. I am able to see over the parapet of my metaphorical castle, I have observed, and continue to observe the shite being flung around, the screaming of obscenities, half-truths, and fabrications - that sort of thing. In the distance, I can see a shining light, tinged by a corona of unassailable perfection, I assume that's Nicola Sturgeon sitting atop the pedestal her followers have built - fuelled by headlines from The National 'newspaper' and bloated articles from Bella Caledonia, and a more general unquestioning faith based mostly on starry-eyed amaurosis.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9pKQT6dc3bkyRvCyVXokEHb4z2rTE2YneFheGRdKg96AExzZvf7Exc4o7jNCp1nfnuuX18vd2wptLVhLYVss5nWnu7HYYjmmq3YSGLZyeu2LYLB3gJT6ICE29BV4GcuCRXDSZkES5qli/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="817" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9pKQT6dc3bkyRvCyVXokEHb4z2rTE2YneFheGRdKg96AExzZvf7Exc4o7jNCp1nfnuuX18vd2wptLVhLYVss5nWnu7HYYjmmq3YSGLZyeu2LYLB3gJT6ICE29BV4GcuCRXDSZkES5qli/" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I tried hard to find a more disparaging image, but came to the conclusion, short of putting one up of the man himself, such an image doesn't exist.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Scanning the field of battle from atop my fence- eh, I mean indomitable battlements, if I look carefully, I can see a small man, with glasses knocked slightly askew, scuttling here and there - his carapace shining dully in the milky sunlight. Every now and then he stops to pick up a severed limb to nibble on, he then raises his shiny head, straightens his glasses (as if that helps to concentrate his thoughts), and issues a hollow scream at the sky in which he tries to explain to the universe what a woman is. But he can't, because he thinks everyone is a woman if only they have the courage to say so.<br /><br />I watch in disgust, as this horrid little bacillus, tugs feebly at a summer skirt covering the body of an activist lost to this oh-so-pointless conflict.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Over by the wheat fields which supply my castle, (it helps if you build a narrative for your shit metaphors, it makes it feel more real for the reader), I can see a woman, dressed like an Amazonian warrior, but shorter and more squat than you might imagine. She's kickboxing hungry children to the ground, pausing only to kiss the arse of her commanding officers on the phone, and to make sure the kid's parents are still watching.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAj39ORJr5dYCjsrCsbj86zW7GC1p18d4vWSDs6WWNNQbMARNmhwH6MxTrI9ZapQvz_MU-ovId7OozghV_k6o8jROlWUxuiK80hV7xolctf60VamIDDKfCYT_s5fjsW2_c5_fo4PyQ0R6J/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAj39ORJr5dYCjsrCsbj86zW7GC1p18d4vWSDs6WWNNQbMARNmhwH6MxTrI9ZapQvz_MU-ovId7OozghV_k6o8jROlWUxuiK80hV7xolctf60VamIDDKfCYT_s5fjsW2_c5_fo4PyQ0R6J/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Every now and again, an odious but incredibly well-spoken cockroach-like thing sidles up, attaches itself to her ample thigh, and laps at the hate-sweat which coats her skin. When it's thirst is sated, it scuttles off waiving a flag and shrieking the words "you just can't, you just CAN'T" at the ruddy-coloured clouds which scud across the sky.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I sigh at this, it's all so depressing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Just when I think of moving away from my castle's barbican, I see a sight which cheers me - the battle field jester. It's a welcome change from the horror, seeing this clown figure cavort across the cratered land, gibbering at anyone who will stop to listen. If I cup a hand around my ear, I am able to snatch fragments of his oratory from the wind, [Ed. nice one, sounds poetic]. Although they're words from the English vocabulary, they're not in an order that makes sense, or germane to anything which is happening.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This sad, ignored Jester begins to chase an owl, so I allow my gaze to move on.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhDfiUdn5OwUfoK6Pmm-jOLtnSZKkP9-z_tWsqXdArq237QGtwi0GBh3hGADbpB_zf-awnExa8FNpsGvcvMtEPFtydJ531aZAP8N5ADs2Ef0VdGE6JC0yCOXYuRolZwRdQQNaswEpWS39/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhDfiUdn5OwUfoK6Pmm-jOLtnSZKkP9-z_tWsqXdArq237QGtwi0GBh3hGADbpB_zf-awnExa8FNpsGvcvMtEPFtydJ531aZAP8N5ADs2Ef0VdGE6JC0yCOXYuRolZwRdQQNaswEpWS39/" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Only picture of an owl and jester I could find.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I see a ghostly figure in the thick of things, but he's being ignored by everyone. He wanders to and fro, trying to pick fights, but it's as if he's not there at all. Opposition activists wave him off with crumpled pamphlets, like they'd wave off a fly at a picnic. I realise he's not alone, a bearded man with wild eyes accompanies him and occasionally stops sending indecipherably stupid tweets so he can pull the string which hangs limply from between the steeply sloped shoulders of this sad, ignored individual. This milquetoast specimen drifts on, recanting the same lines, over and over again, in to the void created by every other human being in existence ignoring him entirely.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0O89gTwCp0fs7UNLtgEcKiD5XCt8FLqLWjXfkQnT05oG8zQc_NAX_cILBpVT791PwirODoQJC4pSH_xG-MwoLIcPAReVI242Ac1M6sQX3TFwSIMe9zLRe2of06FVZBb9NM6SSAsgZylXy/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="929" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0O89gTwCp0fs7UNLtgEcKiD5XCt8FLqLWjXfkQnT05oG8zQc_NAX_cILBpVT791PwirODoQJC4pSH_xG-MwoLIcPAReVI242Ac1M6sQX3TFwSIMe9zLRe2of06FVZBb9NM6SSAsgZylXy/" width="218" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(It's a wet rag, come on, keep up.)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The battle isn't due to reach its crescendo for another twenty four hours. So I stop focussing on the specifics and take in the wider view. To my surprise, it is possible to see a diaphanous form covering the ground as far as the eye can see. As the battle rages, it's being trampled in to the dirt. The majority of combatants trample with enthusiasm, but none more so than the forces of the beatific figure shining brightly, (some might say, so brightly, her holy warriors can't see very clearly), on the pedestal in the distance. (It might just be me, but it looks taller than it did when I began to type this pish out...)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_k5m-LPx7ABWVBP-PiQazF8s49cvs_DfTRd1bOwIQgniOQh-uphf9ohSnsYRx2i969DBqEI545pPQfsWGvTyPolBGwjS24Gk2NXlcBXOUZat2y1gWS0H8Sx4F-deNa9dItmBblIpS6Yx/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_k5m-LPx7ABWVBP-PiQazF8s49cvs_DfTRd1bOwIQgniOQh-uphf9ohSnsYRx2i969DBqEI545pPQfsWGvTyPolBGwjS24Gk2NXlcBXOUZat2y1gWS0H8Sx4F-deNa9dItmBblIpS6Yx/" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh wait, it's just a lamp post.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here and there, activist-soldiers - horribly outnumbered - try to save fragments of this mysterious, embattled lamina before it is lost under the unthinking, plodding hooves of the masses.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">From the curtain wall of the castle, (which in my mind now looks like the one from the Disney adverts, and why not), I see massed on a ridge, serried ranks of men of indeterminate gender. Pink hair here, a nose-ring there - but all to-a-one sporting an immaculately-kept beard. They ripple and seethe down the hill, their war cry a confusion of sex versus gender. But wait, on the opposite ridge, (and it's a glorious site), a roiling mass of adult human females - enraged by the assault on their rights - issues a battle cry which causes everyone to pause.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSFAEhm4B8kvgYlzXIZU0Wds71B83m3fzYKuZPNxhZmzQcp1Ptcd8jbEDQOSaAjmpz_A13_2nCGpvy644IDA7XWUS3UIjGhwTl2GCB3Frd_6Da9VdKo8JF9rxNkrVihYkoRqlAmWe8VYe/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1111" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSFAEhm4B8kvgYlzXIZU0Wds71B83m3fzYKuZPNxhZmzQcp1Ptcd8jbEDQOSaAjmpz_A13_2nCGpvy644IDA7XWUS3UIjGhwTl2GCB3Frd_6Da9VdKo8JF9rxNkrVihYkoRqlAmWe8VYe/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's an artists impression.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The forces-of-indeterminate-gender perform what can only be described as a hand brake turn, but are engulfed by the forces-of-adult-human-females anyway. Several adult human female knees connect with several fear-shrivelled lady-testicles - causing handfuls of puberty blocking pills to fountain from hip pockets in to the mud. The ragged remains of the bearded misogynist army slink back under the protection of their bogus consultations, pliable politicians, and their never-ending closed circles of 'advice'.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJfHf1AgcUzdk6GLiJ31RqATJ4YLsv1e_qEoDkk3ezHy7_1N3rG_BAwhAsbNEdzEdaBAJqE28ta9iY2Dk86r6ZhsEfEg0ukbQkcR9c-Ph3GEt9V79WSmA7FOKGMSYH2tyjmC49EAQh_4S/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJfHf1AgcUzdk6GLiJ31RqATJ4YLsv1e_qEoDkk3ezHy7_1N3rG_BAwhAsbNEdzEdaBAJqE28ta9iY2Dk86r6ZhsEfEg0ukbQkcR9c-Ph3GEt9V79WSmA7FOKGMSYH2tyjmC49EAQh_4S/" width="172" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have no idea how I'll vote tomorrow, or more accurately, I have no idea if the SNP will get my constituency vote. I'm fed up with being lied to, and being patronised by the pious, or lectured by the sanctimonious, who believe they've cornered the market in wisdom. I'm pissed off with narcissists who can't tell the fucking difference between their own malformed opinions and fact.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There are so many serious issues surrounding this election, but they've been usurped by vested interests, by careerism, and by succubae.<br /><br />My greatest disappointment is with the SNP, and much as I hate to say - Nicola Sturgeon. I had a higher regard for Nicola Sturgeon than I did for Alex Salmond - I think because I grew up with Salmond always being portrayed as an ogre - and some of that stuck - but also because I genuinely thought she was a different calibre of politician.<br /><br />Nicola Sturgeon is a manager, she's no reactionary or revolutionary - she talks the talk, but when it comes to kicking the ball, she's got banana feet. More over, I no longer believe independence is her goal - she's toe-punted far too many opportunities over the bar, (and there the football shtick ends). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There comes a time when the number of things you agree about, and the importance of those issues, is overcome by the number of things you don't agree about, and their importance. More-over, there comes a time when you just no longer believe the things they say - and that undermines everything.<br /><br />That test has been met. Brexit, the way the trans-debate has been allowed to fester, women's rights, laws around Hate Crime, people being flung out of the party at the whim of leadership (and favoured-others being given a by), and a leadership which is now the darling of Scotland's media, presumably as a result of the bung they got from the Scottish Government.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know what else to say. I thought we were better than this, but we've lost our way. Nicola Sturgeon's SNP won't bring about Scottish independence, that needs fixed, or another way must be found - and quickly.<br /><br />Of course, all of this is just opinion. Unlike the smug, lecturing wasp-chewers who insist you take theirs, I don't insist you take mine. You're more than welcome to leave it where it is.</span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-77030794456251871212021-04-13T04:57:00.000-07:002021-04-13T04:57:45.403-07:00That ILGA thing.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't really want to comment on the ILGA/ Stonewall/LBGT Scotland/ScotGov funding thing, it's been done to death. But to give some context - as usual - I'm somewhere the middle. Do I think the SNP want to lower the age of consent? Nope. Do I think they're paedophiles, or paedophile enablers? Of course I don't.<br /><br />However, the Feminist Declaration does have some challenging ideas in it. These dubious notions could be dismissed in the first instance as not meaning what Wings Over Scotland or Margaret Lynch said they meant, but look at what's happened around reform of the Gender Recognition Act and wonder at the logic behind excluding women as a protected category in subsequent hate crime legislation - at a point in time when they are being silenced for questioning gender reform.<br /><br />Sometimes things are what they look like.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGdF1IHtATDVsaUYGBRHOFyQAkD082SOFxou69oc-6aFjexYJBQv69keGPApVfV8LYfmZczC9T3xQESOtG4Qtv_o0GjPVxulBf3XfLz-XTdczlrLuxesI3r9wlc_71dQ5bYFKgcxi2s9S/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="537" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGdF1IHtATDVsaUYGBRHOFyQAkD082SOFxou69oc-6aFjexYJBQv69keGPApVfV8LYfmZczC9T3xQESOtG4Qtv_o0GjPVxulBf3XfLz-XTdczlrLuxesI3r9wlc_71dQ5bYFKgcxi2s9S/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a meme.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />Finally on this, and I thought as seasoned independence supporters we'd know this. Instead of dismissing those with questions as bigots, homophobes, or conspiracy theorists - why didn't the SNP (etc) just deal with the substantive points directly, because not doing so is straight out of the unionist playbook of politics. The SNP used to be really good at rebutting erroneous (usually unionist) notions. It turns out they're not to so keen when it's <i>their</i> policies or actions being questioned.<br /><br />Anyway, so far so dramatic.<br /><br />What I want to mention - which is also included in the Feminist Declaration, is this:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IL2G9UXHr85RNTZy3tHCJeOgTEZe9s9Il-vgKltx4DSkIIiabMMWJuazUlKLUjgEkoAdKC3z3cPZOS6VQRrXN_L2OrzUqp1KmEy7KkRVIuDu-EU5zjCQQOY0XJPm5THPN5-NBnRs_Dfh/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="53" data-original-width="557" height="45" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IL2G9UXHr85RNTZy3tHCJeOgTEZe9s9Il-vgKltx4DSkIIiabMMWJuazUlKLUjgEkoAdKC3z3cPZOS6VQRrXN_L2OrzUqp1KmEy7KkRVIuDu-EU5zjCQQOY0XJPm5THPN5-NBnRs_Dfh/w480-h45/image.png" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Section 14/c of the controversial document.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I've already written some pish about self-ID, which is presumably what they mean by self-determination, but I want to say something about 'timely and quality gender affirming services', which won't be pish because it's from personal experience. (And if we're all about recognising people's <i>lived experience</i>, then mine counts too.)<br /><br />I'm plain old gay. I'm not encumbered with any overly strange proclivities, I absolutely do not want to wear make-up, or spandex, or a frock. I don't visit (or have) a dark room. I don't 'cruise' down the beach, (it's too cold and uncomfortable - sand is not a romantic substance, nor is gorse). I tend not to meet other men in cemeteries, (see comment about beaches, also it would be creepy). I don't have multiple partners, (to be fair, that might not be voluntary). I've only ever been up Calton Hill for Beltane. And I've never noshed a stranger off in a toi- Anyway, you get the idea...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But I remember well, being a youngster maybe about ten or eleven years old, (an adolescent no less) and realising two things - that I liked boys, and that it would be a lot easier to access boys if I was a girl. I just wonder, if at that tender, formative (really fucking confusing age), if an adult with a modicum of gravitas had approached me, with an affirmative - dare I say evangelical - message about gender reassignment... What havoc could they have wreaked?<br /><br />I was a boy, and I recognised at least on some levels, I was meant to be a boy, despite where my eyes wandered. But... But... But, what if... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">To be clear, this wasn't a fleeting idea. Around the ages of twelve to fourteen say - I didn't exactly agonise over gender reassignment, because it wasn't a mainstream thing. But I remember often thinking I should be a girl because then, what I felt wouldn't be wrong, or at least it would be normal.*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is being (somewhat) buried in the pedo-hysteria currently assaulting Scottish political discourse. It's also one of the main concerns - born out of experience - I have with gender recognition reform and with the aims of Stonewall and LGBT Scotland, if indeed they do subscribe to the very letter of the Feminist Declaration. (I was going to link to it, but if you don't know how to find it yourself, there's no way I can explain it to you.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3T6pIPeb29FRM2ENV6xbZGn_bDrWwsQfycG2FkunRJapmGPTjQn8MlTwu3n3HJqABtpE1l45r6Y_5B8IEG9hKC4ouC1SP5r58tJivS7eFF2M8tabcp9_3c-CkwIpRyTFrMp68HYP8Oh1/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="600" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3T6pIPeb29FRM2ENV6xbZGn_bDrWwsQfycG2FkunRJapmGPTjQn8MlTwu3n3HJqABtpE1l45r6Y_5B8IEG9hKC4ouC1SP5r58tJivS7eFF2M8tabcp9_3c-CkwIpRyTFrMp68HYP8Oh1/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These details matter - they absolutely do. We've already seen how a relatively innocent-looking message buried within a much wider and noble aim, can grow arms and legs and cause unintended problems.<br /><br />There are people who will read what I've just typed and be horribly offended by it. They won't tackle the substantive points I made, they'll just call me a bigot (or a transphobe) and move on. They didn't have to read it, and they don't have to comment, but if they do, it's on them to back up what they say - if they don't, it's an act of intellectual cowardice akin to nipping a kid they don't like at playtime then running away.<br /><br />As adults, we really shouldn't behave in this way.<br /><br />Young people are important - they matter. Stepping back (and being controversial), one thing I do agree with on the Feminist Declaration is this:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3WudmgmmvPn5biWC_avisVT2Bb9MCp4rVKZk3x6EdL08uJcZMYQw9MgVYcwvGTcwZ7_1x8Bm18UWfOiaEry-Td85CVAlZeWxHAy0oF7xhlFPZR7_mdYyXLMom8hztg3EHUKjxNAwd_vJ/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="580" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3WudmgmmvPn5biWC_avisVT2Bb9MCp4rVKZk3x6EdL08uJcZMYQw9MgVYcwvGTcwZ7_1x8Bm18UWfOiaEry-Td85CVAlZeWxHAy0oF7xhlFPZR7_mdYyXLMom8hztg3EHUKjxNAwd_vJ/w574-h84/image.png" width="574" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Section 14/g of the problematic missive.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />That being said, young folk still need the wisdom of adults (some hope at the moment), if only to temper their sometimes-capricious decision making paradigms. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But, not much has changed between now and when I was growing up. Back when I <i>was</i> a young adolescent, I did exercise some of the agency I wasn't supposed to have - and I would have been criminalised for doing so had it become known. The same is true now, and that can't be right.<br /><br />So some balance is required. The current situation isn't ideal, but nor is the wild west free-for-all extolled by ILGA, Stonewall, and LGBT Scotland - based on the Feminist Declaration.<br /><br />All of which - we must remember - has nothing to do (for now), with the current political situation in Scotland. So, as you were folks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">* Don't get me started on 'normal', those of us who've spent our lives attempting to normalise LGBT existence and get rid of the <i>special labels</i> - only to have <i>Queer</i> gang members drag us back to the 1980's, presumably because they don't like being a bit run-of-the-mill... Grrr... Run-of-the-mill is great - it means your life isn't made a fucking misery at school or work because you've been set apart - you daft bunch of self-interested, self-aggrandising twats. I feel quite strongly about that, as you might be able to tell.</span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-20418732278760339992021-04-07T01:22:00.000-07:002021-04-07T01:22:28.320-07:00Genesis of a person's politics?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you ever attempt to trace the route you took to the politics you hold? I don't mean the nature of your politics - whether you think trickle down economics or collective farms are good ideas - I mean the critical thought, or actions, or characters that poured the foundations upon which your politics sit?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIK5ZwGf2m4HSAcaGd_g45nMzfmBLZVuoCJcmyOrwuwm12jxZNK20FzzrMCE-TKw_c067QVt_D62xQMindEFy6bP3e15WjciXJGpYQftxxBK0NXff9Ld_LywtDh_-jhlfSUGkvYKNJIRd/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="615" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIK5ZwGf2m4HSAcaGd_g45nMzfmBLZVuoCJcmyOrwuwm12jxZNK20FzzrMCE-TKw_c067QVt_D62xQMindEFy6bP3e15WjciXJGpYQftxxBK0NXff9Ld_LywtDh_-jhlfSUGkvYKNJIRd/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">No, not the band...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I can remember a few things. The first one was Margaret Thatcher. Now, before I go any further - in my defence - she was PM from 1979 to 1990, I was six years old in 1979. I grew up with her in power, I remember thinking she was tough and because I was a child - assuming she was right - which kids tend to do with adults. That's my defence and I'm sticking to it.<br /><br />I also remember John Major becoming PM, and wondering how another human could be that grey.<br /><br />At this point, we must jump forward a little to 1997 - which is where any default trust I had in politics was lost - with New Labour and Tony Blair. 'Default trust' is probably over-selling it, up till that point, politics wasn't on my radar. Perhaps becoming older more generally meant I paid more attention, or, I heard Tony Blair speak and some instinctive, preternatural part of my brain thought 'aye aye, you need to watch that one', so that's what I did.<br /><br />New Labour and Tony Blair basically set the tone. With the Tories, what you saw was what you got - a bunch of grasping entitled cunts, New Labour though... Oily, sneaky... The stealth tax was born, sham-marketing had crashed into politics. Tony Blair and the people he had around him realised it was either no longer possible - presumably due to the internet - or no longer practical to expect us proles to accept policies that were Shit But Good For Us. They needed to be branded, packaged and sold - like a family car, or an insurance policy, or a JML kitchen tool.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1FLy5-IsgTLk8_uW1xyCagqjU9n-hdr4maVU8gx2PjBdTh0WXFt5yKhNVvx56yE4PZ_T5LKM9kNfCgMbrX4jJso0ThJTzRSA5-8G_onfDTYHH8dltMzgLPLTF0KZh2uPxV5BmLMSSt1r/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="425" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1FLy5-IsgTLk8_uW1xyCagqjU9n-hdr4maVU8gx2PjBdTh0WXFt5yKhNVvx56yE4PZ_T5LKM9kNfCgMbrX4jJso0ThJTzRSA5-8G_onfDTYHH8dltMzgLPLTF0KZh2uPxV5BmLMSSt1r/" width="203" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's a JML slide-chopper, or a stealth tax...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />TL/DR version? New Labour made me cynical.<br /><br />Then came an awakening - probably interlinked with the reformation of the Scottish Parliament. I was into that, a definite both-votes-yes, but I didn't vote SNP in the first elections, I voted Liberal Democrat. I won't try to explain that, except to say I vaguely recall resolving never to vote Labour ever (which I haven't), or for the Conservatives, who will probably always be irreformable bastards.<br /><br />That was the only time I didn't vote SNP in a Holyrood election. (On the list I tended to vote Green out of pity and some vestigial understanding that a vote (recently) for the SNP on the list was a waste of time.)<br /><br />I impart all that pointless information because when I was growing up politically, Alex Salmond was not a popular figure. At best he was a bellicose curiosity not to be taken seriously, at worst he was a threat to the fabric of the UK. It's fair to say, both notions were ingrained - even if only subconsciously.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSs6Tmo8V3LPmaamBZpAe2DBJankPE8Bhcqnf55QAQO4n_wfB_qcs7iNlm6Hc5BGc96iRL9iaD72ct1OzIn4sSJ0mhOe3qgMPS7ELwbgtKbxten-CdvWasl4FtrqD6N4tk3_RQWh5qJph/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="620" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSs6Tmo8V3LPmaamBZpAe2DBJankPE8Bhcqnf55QAQO4n_wfB_qcs7iNlm6Hc5BGc96iRL9iaD72ct1OzIn4sSJ0mhOe3qgMPS7ELwbgtKbxten-CdvWasl4FtrqD6N4tk3_RQWh5qJph/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Alex Salmond in 1997 - the absolute fiend!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />What I mean to say is, I never fully lost that baggage. After 2014 - when Nicola Sturgeon took over - I had more trust in her because she came with less baggage. I have no doubt the psychology of losing the referendum played it's part too, but either way, I thought she was a different kind of politician and one I could trust - to an extent I hadn't been able to since Blair robbed me of my political innocence in the 1990's.<br /><br />My point is, fellow independence travellers have become selective with the cynicism that allowed them to see through the bullshit. It turns out, it's only activated if it's unionist bullshit. Worse than that, it's malfunctioning to the point where <i>anything </i>a unionist politician says is dismissed - completely negating the idea of an opposition. The opposition parties at Holyrood are not great, but they should not be dismissed completely - or Scotland <i>is</i> a one-party state. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We need to recall the journey which caused us to question <i>everything</i> we're being told. We need to to spend more time on what's being said instead of who's saying it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IOirh6m-wq30FwTAUjLYUrM1LmMGjoQHwy27jxLIUXxFiHRoKYIcRVb8AM_ri6Gktinb2O7cDMehyphenhyphen0PBDrF70Xv0Of0uM-15Wg3h0paUzsIP6VEg0pJOqhyphenhyphenlHoGryINNZO6d5TAeq5rE/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="640" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IOirh6m-wq30FwTAUjLYUrM1LmMGjoQHwy27jxLIUXxFiHRoKYIcRVb8AM_ri6Gktinb2O7cDMehyphenhyphen0PBDrF70Xv0Of0uM-15Wg3h0paUzsIP6VEg0pJOqhyphenhyphenlHoGryINNZO6d5TAeq5rE/w401-h125/image.png" width="401" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">dilbert.com</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We can't give the things which suit our agendas a by - if we do that, then we're no better than those who seek to hold us in the UK - all we're doing is propagating that same rank mendacity, and I can't get on board with that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It leaves people like me with an uneasy compromise, we support people who's actions we don't agree with - on the promise we can get rid of them at some tenebrous point in the future, all of this while being castigated for daring to ask for explanations to the issues which are causing us to be apprehensive in the first place - it's an impossible situation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Alba Party may not be perfect - but neither is the SNP - no party is perfect. What it does is give people like myself an insurance policy and a much better compromise position. Is it too much to ask, that if I can compromise enough to vote SNP in the constituency, that ardent Nicola fans can do the same and respect my right to vote Alba on the list vote?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-40728960958733085412021-03-24T07:34:00.001-07:002021-03-24T07:35:07.613-07:00Suspending disbelief.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have a pal, he has an odd relationship with his mobile phone. When he got a text (and he got lots of those), his phone became the living embodiment of the person sending it. Indeed, the person his phone became, took precedence over the people he was <i>actually</i> with - to be fair - usually because his phone had become his wife. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">He's younger than me, so not familiar with the concept of an old house phone. Did anyone ever look at their old landline and think, 'I'm going to behave as if anyone who has my number is here already'.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I bet you didn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE39gm3wgcqlkOOAgAMFFQb_LPfyKQ76edLWbuqNv5yWFntnOnhRFuExae1ekuJvnzFyYNTg6WJVRke0bG-lyl9LPq83yu4psELFeP2R_liJhznGf7NOKo1JgxzMU6uK206nJxp5Jb0is/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="1482" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE39gm3wgcqlkOOAgAMFFQb_LPfyKQ76edLWbuqNv5yWFntnOnhRFuExae1ekuJvnzFyYNTg6WJVRke0bG-lyl9LPq83yu4psELFeP2R_liJhznGf7NOKo1JgxzMU6uK206nJxp5Jb0is/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The number of times we'd be chatting away - he'd say something, and I might say something in reply. I then turn to elaborate further - as is my want - and he wouldn't be there. He'd be twenty paces back looking a bit dopy while peering at his fucking phone - while I looked like I'd been talking to myself. I'd gently suggest this was a bit rude, but he'd say the sender of the message knew he'd read it and if he didn't reply, they'd think he was ignoring them. I'd think, (but not say), you're ignoring me</span><i style="font-family: arial;">.</i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was invariably his partner - and this is the point I'm clambering my way toward - they'd be hundreds of miles apart, not even on the same land mass - but they still found a way to have unpleasant arguments with each other.<br /><br />And so it is with Twitter just now. Why do we do it, and why do we care so much about the thoughts and opinions of people we don't know?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHArXEWpxSiKL3hNpyKE8_Okhshmq50jOSQ3aPXYCudVsuj1chXWA0hxO-IqA32Lrh0dFmohWthvWMxt1_jaJwp5RtDjXZkWum2igagx5OQZPCOtCIQBCPbd1nzljcDxrtNu_F-U6JQi4V/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1080" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHArXEWpxSiKL3hNpyKE8_Okhshmq50jOSQ3aPXYCudVsuj1chXWA0hxO-IqA32Lrh0dFmohWthvWMxt1_jaJwp5RtDjXZkWum2igagx5OQZPCOtCIQBCPbd1nzljcDxrtNu_F-U6JQi4V/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />We've now had the verdicts, outcomes, reports - call them what you will - and we're not really any further forward. Speaking for myself - which is all I can ever do - I'm <i>more</i> lost.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Nicola Sturgeon was 'exonerated' by the Hamilton Inquiry but found somewhat guilty (if that's the right term) by the Fabiani Inquiry. The former was independent, the latter was not. I don't mute people often on Twitter, but if you attempt to convince me SNP MSP's never vote along party lines, then claim <u>I'm</u> being manipulated. If my subsequent tweets seem aggressive, it's not necessarily because I think you're stupid, it's because you have no self awareness or empathy. You're just a very irritating (and gullible) sociopath.<br /><br />My point is this, the devil is in the detail. In all that has transpired - no one has been held responsible for anything. No one has been sacked, and no one has been censured. More over, no one has admitted any fault. Indeed, the only person who has, is still being vilified for a great many things he was proven not to have done - which is an embarrassing double standard.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5YYgnay15ymzT_NY_-ojSIOzIRfJhp5NHq18M-7O1AbewY03WtXfRRvFt6v1e5pl3AYPg_edJZNc-0JQxwrh5GSAPSM7jfpfvkPBSsbaOnf2771ZNwhn3DaXs4vMd4woXQoftQNGaTD2/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="990" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5YYgnay15ymzT_NY_-ojSIOzIRfJhp5NHq18M-7O1AbewY03WtXfRRvFt6v1e5pl3AYPg_edJZNc-0JQxwrh5GSAPSM7jfpfvkPBSsbaOnf2771ZNwhn3DaXs4vMd4woXQoftQNGaTD2/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Look. It's a Star Trek meme. (I see young people...)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If we can at least accept that mistakes were made, and tacitly accept who <i>was never</i> in a position to make them - by which I mean critics of Nicola Sturgeon who had no hand in developing the new complaints procedure (for example), can we at least accept there are issues here which still need addressed? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And since we're so quick to condemn individuals based on extrapolation, is it fair to excuse others, despite there now being so much established fact? And I suppose a final question, have we forgotten the difference between established facts and establishment facts?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Trying to talk about any of this on Twitter just now, is tantamount to what my pal does with his phone. The debate still needs to be had, but if anything is damaging hopes of independence right now, it's this toxic method of having it.<br /></span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-63317471159011474562021-03-19T10:37:00.000-07:002021-03-19T10:37:34.262-07:00Percolations, identifications, and metaphors.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This particular typed outgrowth, has been brewing for some time. The temptation was to talk about the leaked voting from the incorrectly-but-popularly-named 'Salmond Inquiry', but enough is being said already, you don't need to read my (probably entirely predictable) opinions on it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zq9ot8MB-SjxCeSbD9_QECJSLMNAaVDqReHkYaoBdeS-gPtuvMv-FkE8HBeeZMU1Mfn1BgGZbSXMDuAvpFalKxfEDmqkMpsHcnNb0uNwEZ0qD1LK9_7Mombz3FHaT-oepDgj26EnkA7I/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zq9ot8MB-SjxCeSbD9_QECJSLMNAaVDqReHkYaoBdeS-gPtuvMv-FkE8HBeeZMU1Mfn1BgGZbSXMDuAvpFalKxfEDmqkMpsHcnNb0uNwEZ0qD1LK9_7Mombz3FHaT-oepDgj26EnkA7I/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A meme. It's how young people communicate, apparently.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Self-identity or self ID though... It's fair to say it's been the cause of some grief. Indeed, it could be said, it's partially why Nicola Sturgeon's leadership is in crisis. I have no clue why they pursued the policy - they didn't need to. But they did, and handled the subsequent debate in a way that's been impressively crap. I might say, so-much-so, it's as if they chose to destroy themselves with it. (Although that's not my theory, more in a minute on that.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Getting this most obvious manifestation of self-ID out of the way - of course men too easily being able to identify as female is going to be problematic. For reasons that are obvious, and reasons that are not. Mostly though, because people can be dicks. It doesn't matter if they're male or female or an ephemeral, unknowable entity somewhere between the two. You could have a bunch of daffodils hanging between your legs and chromosomes made from Gouda - you might still be a psychopath, a sadist, or just a creepy twat.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Self-ID though.<br /><br />The problem with self-ID is simple - there's no such thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">That's basically it. It doesn't exist. It's not a thing. The type of person who believes self-ID is achievable - is a pure narcissist. We are not what we decide we are, we are as others observe us to be. Identity is a compromise, sometimes easy, sometimes not. Sometimes it's automatic - done subconsciously - sometimes we have to work at it. But it's never purely a decision of the self.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Which is why self-ID as part of a wider policy can't work. Putting to one side the idea of forcing people to think in ways they're not prepared to think, there's the entirety of our lived existence - the way we observe and understand the world itself - at stake.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4_TW5Y1vW95lb4l5FWhPfMzJQOxYDUd27365PnIqHUFYeYLjrHJee95pODVYIqB1IFIPjtx4oMt6QJOIaF2BlG6ffL1HrbndaZoSKv74-YtyuDi6GXDtF_1lxcyjvuHJGYEL9veql6eE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="300" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4_TW5Y1vW95lb4l5FWhPfMzJQOxYDUd27365PnIqHUFYeYLjrHJee95pODVYIqB1IFIPjtx4oMt6QJOIaF2BlG6ffL1HrbndaZoSKv74-YtyuDi6GXDtF_1lxcyjvuHJGYEL9veql6eE/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Science is objective, human thought is definitely not - we're seriously fucked up. I'll give you a topical example, (and put my head on a chopping block.) The current Scottish Government seeks to convince us if a man so chooses, he can be a woman - not dress up or pretend - he can self-identify as a woman and <i>be</i> one.<br /><br />Occasionally, if it looks interesting, I watch Abandoned Engineering, (I know, I'm kind of at that stage in life), on it is a contributor called Lynette Nussbacher. When she's on, I see and hear a woman. On the other hand, (while I've never watched The Kardashians), if I see Caitlyn Jenner down the high street, I see and hear a man who <i>looks</i> like a woman.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">How we perceive people has little to do with how they perceive themselves. And how they're being perceived, shouldn't matter to them anyway. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYvfVFkxDoG2J8N_aVP-etfkSbV7GVVtf__IGTqvROuA_RebOiNd6YYlysgjxEGpBmdGwx_FrNn3Anew-S5rC6slqgvouvPFnd-P5Zv0_y2ZEp3r0QlBpAuhlRZ5Uzk-DyF6-wsIuZI70/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1024" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYvfVFkxDoG2J8N_aVP-etfkSbV7GVVtf__IGTqvROuA_RebOiNd6YYlysgjxEGpBmdGwx_FrNn3Anew-S5rC6slqgvouvPFnd-P5Zv0_y2ZEp3r0QlBpAuhlRZ5Uzk-DyF6-wsIuZI70/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">You're damn right I am.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Why have the Scottish Government pursued this? I suspect it's more to do with being caught in the deadlights of a lobby group with a powerful narcissist streak. I sometimes wonder if it started out as a project to build a support base, or perhaps to spike the ambitions of someone doing the same, that just got out of hand?<br /><br />I have no idea, and in terms of the subject of this blog post, it doesn't matter. The policy is based on a premise which is rubbish. It is not possible for anyone to fully self-id as something they're obviously not. Whether it's me thinking I'm an athlete when I'm out jogging, or Kirsty Blackman thinking she's a serious politician when she's out, ummm, doing what ever it is she thinks serious politicians do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Post Script: It goes without saying, I fully respect the rights of trans-people to exist and I will be as polite as I usually am - which is to say - effusively so due to a middle class upbringing and a moderately passive aggressive nature. What goes on in the fucked-up space between my ears however, is nobodies business but my own* - and I'm fairly sure you couldn't give a shit anyway, and nor should you.<br /><br />* Unless I decide to blert it out here of course. In which case I'm sorry, but you didn't have to read it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-75311900610866107212021-03-17T07:01:00.002-07:002021-03-17T07:01:37.570-07:00(Further) down the rabbit hole.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The latest instalment of the Scottish Government's corruption saga landed on Twitter last night, I think that was the only place it landed, but gosh - landed it did. With the wet splat of a fibre-deficient jobby, it descended upon users (not real people remember), and provoked an immediate response, from both sides.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbHU6mC19weNdCCDBB3pX9xS7y9U5bL5rgKj3J8aQdwvnuSkTGyXAnA6A7LPyZV92MdUGqKXWca0ua7OqIrPyycfBZAZIOTc4vW7klmIUkx7e4p24toEjoHBLlamqsLf8AGqbejeU_d7O/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1500" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbHU6mC19weNdCCDBB3pX9xS7y9U5bL5rgKj3J8aQdwvnuSkTGyXAnA6A7LPyZV92MdUGqKXWca0ua7OqIrPyycfBZAZIOTc4vW7klmIUkx7e4p24toEjoHBLlamqsLf8AGqbejeU_d7O/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Speech <a href="https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/67a700ab-4500-4fdb-802b-f2e06854f6e1" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll lead with the TL/DR version - Sturgeon loyalists dismissed David Davis' Westminster speech, mostly because it was David Davis. Salmond loyalists rolled their eyes because everything he said, they already knew. Everyone else? They didn't notice - why would they?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now for the Did Read version. The Scottish press seem to be leaving it alone, which is astonishing really. Think of the countless times the merest hint - even if that hint was an obvious fabrication - of SNP/independence-related scandal, but the Scottish media ran with it anyway. Yet here we have a proven sequence of actions in to which, the Scottish press, and what passes for Scottish news from the BBC, have barely dipped a toe. Normally they'd be baw-deep by now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ETTCB5YhRJiCY3rmXphQ8WJXdRlanpfbUyp5KENdSYISK-s8lejjI-1GpdrFTVAtYqURcvh64oa38gyzHvLtcqX-kytQoj9lD5ZhD9mqxfZbexMoSfZH18UCD1OVOZ9oqxrR2EZRxcbE/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="350" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ETTCB5YhRJiCY3rmXphQ8WJXdRlanpfbUyp5KENdSYISK-s8lejjI-1GpdrFTVAtYqURcvh64oa38gyzHvLtcqX-kytQoj9lD5ZhD9mqxfZbexMoSfZH18UCD1OVOZ9oqxrR2EZRxcbE/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Or eyeball-deep</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll admit, I'm not a fan of David Davis - I may have said horrible things about him over the insouciant way he dealt with his responsibilities around Brexit. One uncomfortable lesson I've learned while watching Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon give evidence is, unionist politician - even the most oleaginous ones - shouldn't be dismissed entirely. One of the more unfortunate gifts social media has given us, is a willingness to dismiss 100% of a person because of 1% of the things they believe. I'll admit - I do it sometimes, but it's not right. It's shallow and self defeating. Joanne Lamont's contribution to debates around women's rights are a strong case in point.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I will never vote or be a Conservative, but only a fool would blank another human being because they happened to be a Tory. If Jacob Rees-Mogg gave a speech about how much we love our children, (putting to one side he might think yours should be sent up chimneys), would you angrily declare you hated your kids anyway?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What David Davis did last night, was read out a string of events which happened. It wasn't a list he wrote, or his interpretation, opinions, or extrapolations. It's what actually happened based on the sworn-under-oath testimony of the people involved. They admitted it. It's there in balck and white, in emails and text messages - emails and text messages the Scottish Government and COPFS have been desperately trying to redact, hide or forget exist.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-guPew0ZP8aP9sduCXe6RzgoPYmPQVrL1gTNpo8r1wN0H2T7GOltaOcKWeEAPiMhKEEGP1RYPhMeFmR-dbtrKUt_q97w4xbf_9n76Zztv5dXF6OQCd8X7MS5leDTFTnIl2m0GJKqfA17/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-guPew0ZP8aP9sduCXe6RzgoPYmPQVrL1gTNpo8r1wN0H2T7GOltaOcKWeEAPiMhKEEGP1RYPhMeFmR-dbtrKUt_q97w4xbf_9n76Zztv5dXF6OQCd8X7MS5leDTFTnIl2m0GJKqfA17/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Don't mistake my tone for glee, and don't even think about dismissing me as a unionist or 'yoon plant'. This is anger. The current leadership of the Scottish Government allowed a situation to develop resulting in David Davis (of all people) being able to stand up in Westminster (of all places), and give that speech. I'm mortified, and so should the current SNP leadership be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought <i>so</i> highly of Nicola Sturgeon. I thought she was a different kind of politician. There was never the doubt for her, people my age had, for Alex Salmond.<br /><br />I don't dislike Sturgeon and for the same reasons I won't dismiss Joanne Lamont, I won't dismiss Nicola Sturgeon. I'm just disappointed.<br /><br />What is more disappointing, is the craven denial of fellow independence travellers. We know how it works, we see through it every time we <i>intelligently</i> rubbish an argument for the Union. To not see through it because it's our own side, is an abandonment of morality. Worse still, to do so off the back of an unwillingness to be informed, is an abandonment of the good sense that brought us to the independence cause in the first place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I prefer not to use the word <i>cult</i> to describe diehard Nicola fans, but it's beginning to fit. They claim because we don't support Nicola, we no longer support independence - to them Nicola and independence are one and the same. What is that, if not the views of the inculcated?<br /><br />The idea independence might be at risk because of the actions of the current leadership - and not its critics - does not compute. Instead, we have continuing and increasingly shrill admonitions to wait for the outcome of an already flawed inquiry, and to ignore all that has come out from it to date.<br /><br />Its a mess, it can't be denied. Divisive policies and decisions pursued by the SNP leadership - if they were half as competent as their supporters claim - they knew they'd be hugely problematic, yet they persevered anyway. This cannot be the fault of the policy's critics. Those critics exist as a result of the policies, not the other way round.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmov7BLl5ckxaMwRwgPfDbIlVq9-vfK7Wrignv_VVDOhucgxp3TlQASX-XpX5qyKGiUlZYvZGAWd3oZ1NONKLeUOmtk4fH0vo7i49Ykn8rVFHbtyzO17Frj2e3SNPFSscX_CEcIT3oWJC/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="960" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmov7BLl5ckxaMwRwgPfDbIlVq9-vfK7Wrignv_VVDOhucgxp3TlQASX-XpX5qyKGiUlZYvZGAWd3oZ1NONKLeUOmtk4fH0vo7i49Ykn8rVFHbtyzO17Frj2e3SNPFSscX_CEcIT3oWJC/" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />A longer post today, but it reflects the frustration many feel. That it's been brought back into the spotlight by David fucking Davis giving a speech at Westminster, is frustrating and embarrassing - but the Sturgeon faithful still see fit to blame the egg instead of the chicken that laid it.<br /><br />If Nicola was a fraction of the leader they claim she is, she'd take responsibility for the eggs she's broken.</span><p></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-53104224272110843252021-03-15T05:28:00.000-07:002021-03-15T05:29:12.847-07:00Anyone for dominos?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not quite at the point where I want to play dominos, the time may come however, and I'll probably do it on an app, because we might still all be locked down. However, I have a vague recollection you could buy a game or toy - I suspect it was a shite 1980's fads.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGZDZSDqP19pfulirMVFpkw1p88KLCYeLY_i7HviXkIoDsa-Yp7FML2Y3qkWHMICVDyMdfwpcJ8sGVS56WG7SGYcfkLcykRYavNRKo3Fqi8Z2ZCCRHqLiaM9tjU855nEsHQ8IndzBc7Ui/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="400" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGZDZSDqP19pfulirMVFpkw1p88KLCYeLY_i7HviXkIoDsa-Yp7FML2Y3qkWHMICVDyMdfwpcJ8sGVS56WG7SGYcfkLcykRYavNRKo3Fqi8Z2ZCCRHqLiaM9tjU855nEsHQ8IndzBc7Ui/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Not imagining it...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I mention it because it's what happened in America with Trump. Remember that? It feels like a dream now, a really strange dream, but it happened. There are those who think character doesn't matter. They would rather politicians were 'real' people, they feel any expectation of them being paragons of virtue is unrealistic and unfair. The problem is, we get complete arseholes in positions of power. Fair enough, they don't need to be perfect, but do they need to be quite so flawed? Would somewhere in the middle not suffice?<br /><br />This is where the (soon-to-be-tortured) domino reference comes in. As far as that goes, Trump probably wasn't the first domino, but it set off a chain of events. There was a list of actions in American culminating in the invasion of the Capitol building. Over here, early on - we got Boris Johnson in number 10. Take yourself back a few years and remember how mental a prospect that was, yet here we are.<br /> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CodjSio8rf8" width="320" youtube-src-id="CodjSio8rf8"></iframe></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'd challenge you to watch the advert above and not see an allegory for humanity. (Let the torture commence). Do you remember the record breaking domino runs on TV from the 1980's, We never saw much of the organisation, I imagine it was a pain in the hoop to set up - just like building a civilised society. Looking at the advert - as the dominos fall, the kids laugh ever-more maniacally. They're <i>revelling</i> in the destruction of the chain reaction they started. The work it took to set up is gone from their minds, they - we - are now in populist mode. We know what we want, and we're going to get it, and fuck the consequences.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And look how simple it was to set up - could that be a representation of voting into power people like Boris fucking Johnson? Easy to do, but not so easy to live with. Knowing once we've done it, the smallest tremor could set the whole thing off, and once it starts, there's not much to do except stand back and enjoy the spectacle - like the craze-tinged children in the ad?</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FX2fdBYtwSMmYwh6bNnFF1v5fJr6wEMQSY3Gotm6vwTlnNg35UIgsEbe86AUtQVm5bBvswXXoZ0YwQ1JjuT-tl6vg7A_feAYTKENcpe3HgRD82j93LvKw1JLCQ9cfYivubojqAdK-4TY/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="740" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FX2fdBYtwSMmYwh6bNnFF1v5fJr6wEMQSY3Gotm6vwTlnNg35UIgsEbe86AUtQVm5bBvswXXoZ0YwQ1JjuT-tl6vg7A_feAYTKENcpe3HgRD82j93LvKw1JLCQ9cfYivubojqAdK-4TY/w435-h133/image.png" width="435" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The torture went well, but I think we can get more out of it.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It seems to me, each shit real world action we witness is used as a precedent to make the one that follows slightly more acceptable. America got Trump - us getting Johnson didn't seem quite so bad. BLM happened, with all the misrepresentations that came with it - women participating in a vigil for a murdered woman get roughed up and arrested by police, I think most people agree this was bad, but the bar moved with BLM, so it's not <i>that</i> bad. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Illiberal laws being passed by Holyrood and Westminster? But listen, have you seen the hatred on Twitter, or the annoyance caused by protests? There's real antipathy out there, on Twitter especially, wait though, Twitter isn't real is it? Apparently it is if you have an axe to grind - but I digress.<br /><br />Twitter is full of bitterness, people there are vicious and despicable. So it's fitting, if your chat at the <i>dinner table </i>(because it's a logical extension of the internet apparently), offends, it can be reported to the police, and they can turn up at your doorstep to investigate. Don't worry though, the bar for criminality is high - and as we can quite clearly see - never moves, plus, we have a prosecution service which is renowned for the integrity of it's actio- oh wait, no we don't.<br /><br />We had the First Minister publish an entirely off-the-cuff, unscripted address to the nation when some people left the SNP in protest at the 'rampant transphobia' in the party. But nothing, not a whimper, when thousands left due to their disregard for women's safety, and a serving SNP MP received threats of a sexual nature from a member of the SNP (alleged) who has since been prosecuted. Presumably someone removed a couple of dominos - because that particular Shit Real World Action didn't set the right precedent.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Are things getting worse, or is this all part of a standard cycle? If it is a standard cycle, or a chain reaction, where or how does it end? Do we want to know?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't remember there being a drain at the end of the domino run, I can't help but feel - unless we find the plug - we'll end up going down it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-87845737572326336962021-03-10T03:31:00.001-08:002021-03-10T03:33:04.998-08:00Stickers, banners & double standards.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We all have our biases, to claim we don't, would be a lie. Claiming ownership of the status quo won't make our bias mainstream or legitimate, it's just another tawdry dishonesty. Our bias is fuelled by our opinions, which are always subjective. Double standards on the other hand?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDYah4iLMCMgyaWC_y7RO38mU_6J1covz6MRHVe_m5D4x1LVebAvz9xE5BgoTdSj9td1I9YpfVm2MENAtznuetJO3oX4vENF6rLH5m1qXC8iunby4KUPbf3xVObFN7GrkbkMgt1QVYk72/s619/tweets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="457" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDYah4iLMCMgyaWC_y7RO38mU_6J1covz6MRHVe_m5D4x1LVebAvz9xE5BgoTdSj9td1I9YpfVm2MENAtznuetJO3oX4vENF6rLH5m1qXC8iunby4KUPbf3xVObFN7GrkbkMgt1QVYk72/w287-h389/tweets.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And the 'vandalism', 'slurs' and inspired 'fear...'</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9B8h2GIzd6HHaJk9gi0hhZExYW7N3hLO2hTve4vpDXqUv3QCzLQ_9gFHVJ5NvHbwqvX1WmE-hQ-N5IDtuK8o7wmyj1xVRCx1uH7MkUymr0u_sSz9iUAYrNRjxKWc-Nbc9ZBR9I7UxsQt/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="768" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9B8h2GIzd6HHaJk9gi0hhZExYW7N3hLO2hTve4vpDXqUv3QCzLQ_9gFHVJ5NvHbwqvX1WmE-hQ-N5IDtuK8o7wmyj1xVRCx1uH7MkUymr0u_sSz9iUAYrNRjxKWc-Nbc9ZBR9I7UxsQt/" width="304" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMa1T5gP6L8VIl7pWuILrZHrr-Ecvr3F_WWnn5Uu34WkgZwEBHQyJcq_YFR1iqyD6cq77wm66M1nfHszOFmJZ6VrJJDuUhZkqs8zXN3giyvwGvlCE_7UZu3IVfcfwAyY37zdQ34U-Pe20/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="768" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMa1T5gP6L8VIl7pWuILrZHrr-Ecvr3F_WWnn5Uu34WkgZwEBHQyJcq_YFR1iqyD6cq77wm66M1nfHszOFmJZ6VrJJDuUhZkqs8zXN3giyvwGvlCE_7UZu3IVfcfwAyY37zdQ34U-Pe20/" width="279" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHT6GQPRIBuAlNs-iVvo_8L4acUJz1Z9TWs3FxEPAhycwu3lcBeBnHozSUNQ3R6oR9DdLbIA45WeYo9OUi0qoWHRvYnQ5v7UVL8SVFVEf4Oqiw481TJm3C8thaxbeVXJkvJmcIiVqB2U-a/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="768" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHT6GQPRIBuAlNs-iVvo_8L4acUJz1Z9TWs3FxEPAhycwu3lcBeBnHozSUNQ3R6oR9DdLbIA45WeYo9OUi0qoWHRvYnQ5v7UVL8SVFVEf4Oqiw481TJm3C8thaxbeVXJkvJmcIiVqB2U-a/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9NaSIVb2hpZkIaXWvgnTIZTyZ9Ib8A09063LH46SCEAmm_3xGvq5QOFPSvqCucptU_IQTAXdNUSu-ucMdUgZR7Wq0A05pNNLixavn-_eFa5uSU4H-Ikxe8J-23wuKoxcEvyWDHfb_RAi/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9NaSIVb2hpZkIaXWvgnTIZTyZ9Ib8A09063LH46SCEAmm_3xGvq5QOFPSvqCucptU_IQTAXdNUSu-ucMdUgZR7Wq0A05pNNLixavn-_eFa5uSU4H-Ikxe8J-23wuKoxcEvyWDHfb_RAi/w243-h324/image.png" width="243" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(All nicked from www.wingsoverscotland.com)</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Remember when Ian Murray had a similar outburst? Remember our reaction to it. Some fiend stuck Yes stickers on the door of his constituency office. Remember how we mocked?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are two aspects to this, the first is the subject matter. To put my own bias out there, I have deep misgivings about the regard being paid to women's rights by the SNP. I take the view, that as a chap (by all the usual metrics), it's not my place to tell women what their lot is, it's my place to listen to <i>them,</i> tell <i>me</i> what it is. If they say their protected spaces are at risk - my place in the debate is to accept it, and offer my support if they will have it. It's not my place to foist even <i>that</i> on them.<br /><br />That's my opinion, but I appreciate (and regularly see) there are others doing the rounds. While I don't agree with them, I won't say they're not allowed to exist, or should be silenced, because it would make me a hypocrite.<br /><br />Which takes us to the second aspect - the glass-shattering hypocrisy and double standards. Opinion lives on a spectrum, it is by it's very nature subjective. Double standards on the other hand, are a black and white proposition. If you condemn an activity in the morning, then do it yourself in the afternoon (and feign wide-eyed innocence), not only do you engage in the initial dishonesty, you stick a bow on it by engaging in a hypocrisy so obvious, we must assume you are stupid, or think we all are.<br /><br />Even as I type this, it <i>feels</i> unreasonable. But I think it's because the bar has moved over the past few years. The threshold for offence is so low and ephemeral, anything other than complete acceptance when someone claims it's happening, makes you feel like a Piers Morgan clone.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlcHROybgEcqYPSJ_85HkiKcE-iLwGMLsfxWsJVBP2DM9j6GjxIcEViZPs2g1mmMrHaSqKGv6a-qi-B8vMWRjh4Tm6lvPTrBRCAfn-Y5n9TibnNZplhbfV98BxYzvu-F_gqzfh6ObAdVr/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlcHROybgEcqYPSJ_85HkiKcE-iLwGMLsfxWsJVBP2DM9j6GjxIcEViZPs2g1mmMrHaSqKGv6a-qi-B8vMWRjh4Tm6lvPTrBRCAfn-Y5n9TibnNZplhbfV98BxYzvu-F_gqzfh6ObAdVr/" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[insert deliberately unflattering photo here]</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Kirsty Blackman and the people who'd agree with and support her, now claim to be the status quo. As an erstwhile fan of Nicola Sturgeon - because she doesn't distance herself from, or at the very least censure people like Blackman - I have to count her in that grouping, which saddens me greatly.<br /><br />If we can't trust the SNP leadership with something as straightforward as double standards, how can we trust them to deliver a referendum on independence? How can we trust them at all? And how is this any better than having unionists in charge given the similarity in actions?<br /><br />With the looming threat of the Hate Crime Bill, I have to ask if the SNP (in its current form), can be trusted with it? Do we trust COPFS to exercise legal instruments related to offence, given it's close links with a government so keen on finding it? Because I'll put 50p on the bill's proponents looking for a successful prosecution to justify its existence.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These are all questions I can't help but ponder between now and May.</span></p></span><p></p><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-28532699016384056982021-03-08T08:04:00.002-08:002021-03-08T08:04:12.893-08:00Nuance is dead.<p><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it. You can go.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS0gH5EMhhLYOmwvbUjFnP9mVyy8OjigOrQjQ8W69MQjvT1W1Q8KHlOWTNbB8yEk9KcwRHvWABRIAisUp3WNocJcRh2O2noLSsF8iGEawG_OCxOqpehOtEkpBjJpqlWjkAy_NgdXojz8z/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="540" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilS0gH5EMhhLYOmwvbUjFnP9mVyy8OjigOrQjQ8W69MQjvT1W1Q8KHlOWTNbB8yEk9KcwRHvWABRIAisUp3WNocJcRh2O2noLSsF8iGEawG_OCxOqpehOtEkpBjJpqlWjkAy_NgdXojz8z/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm joking.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I occasionally post on a forum. I'll say something innocuous like; "I quite like apples..." When I check back, some pedant will have asked what it is I have against oranges, or why I like to bully bananas. Then someone else will demand, "what's this fiend saying against fruit salads?" All of a sudden I'm a fruit-hating devil with vegetarians in my crosshairs. All I said was I didn't like apples.<br /><br />(I know, as internet forums go - it sounds dull, it was an example. Also, I like apples, although not the eating of them by other people in my presence. But I digress...)<br /><br />If in life, we had to add all sorts of random caveats to the things we say in order to let people know whether or not they should be offended, (because their default setting is very much switched to 'potentially always offended'), life will be very awkward.<br /><br />And so it is with the Hate Crime Bill.<br /><br />Normally I take my legal lead from @peatworrier, but I don't hang on his every word, so I'm not sure where he is with the Hate Crime Bill.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AH96qamZO3LItb7fk20E9MaFmKnqOO9D4kqbe8sE6IbSCA58x2GT_Rd7Iwysj-T7S62CZ5RsaOSwuAog2uWVi8sQm04iZPCMKERqMaN7Y4t2JMAzn2cWIBKurabZ8oWyFOYW2-Y3x1RH/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="591" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AH96qamZO3LItb7fk20E9MaFmKnqOO9D4kqbe8sE6IbSCA58x2GT_Rd7Iwysj-T7S62CZ5RsaOSwuAog2uWVi8sQm04iZPCMKERqMaN7Y4t2JMAzn2cWIBKurabZ8oWyFOYW2-Y3x1RH/" width="314" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, Roddy Dunlop is a QC, and PeatWorrier retweeted him. As we know, (ever since nuance died on it's arse), when you retweet someone, you align yourself <u>absolutely</u> with everything they've said, are saying, or will ever say - however heinous (or suited to the agenda of who you happen to be arguing with), until the heat death of the universe.<br /><br />TL/DR version? I feel compelled to agree with Roddy Dunlop because PeatWorrer retweeted him, but I don't.<br /><br />The issue with the Hate Crime Bill, to me anyway, is that it's deployment is dependent on the highly subjective existence of offence. Offence is a capricious thing, it cannot be made real in the black and white text of an act. Some people find it far too easily, and for reasons which have nothing to do with their delicate sensibilities.<br /><br />I think Roddy Dunlop QC is looking at it through the wrong end of the telescope. It doesn't matter how well written, or what its intent is. What counts is what it will <i>actually</i> do. It seems to me, what that might be, is to empower pressure groups who can't get what they want with related, reasonable arguments, but might get it with the silencing of reasoned arguments against, and the threat of legal action off the back of faux offence.<br /><br />You might think this wouldn't be allowed to happen - we have a Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service who will see that it doesn't do we not? Hmmm, I don't buy that either. There are all sorts of very serious problems that require another blog entirely, probably from someone like PeatWorrier, instead of me.<br /><br />The thing about nuance is, it forces us to ask awkward, difficult questions - the answers to which, we may not like. (Seeing Jackie Baillie - an MSP I did not rate highly at all - ask awkward but intelligent questions of someone I rated far more highly, made me squirm). But it has to be done, because bone-headed stupidity only ever works in Hollywood films, not in the Holyrood Parliament.<br /><br />We know this already, we learned it by the toll of a hundred thousand newspaper headlines about how shit Scottish independence would be. We even managed to get our heads round the nuance, we understood <i>why</i> they were shit. Now though, we reject the sources who opened our eyes, and angrily reject their information when they dare to present it.<br /><br />When did we get so comfy yet so frit?<br /><br />The irony is, we don't counter it with related, reasonable arguments, we seek to mute it with sometimes hysterical, faux offence, and we must assume eventually, the threat of legal action and gaol. At what point did it become acceptable to use Scotland's justice system as a tool to avoid debate and dispose of those who might oppose your position?<br /><br />Wait now, you don't need to answer that.<br /><br />Since offence is 100% subjective, all of us will end up treading on egg shells. All of us <i>except</i> those who control the prosecutions.<br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c9nCN0Tlx6k" width="320" youtube-src-id="c9nCN0Tlx6k"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">#Twatgate. Andrew Tickell (PeatWorrier's) finest moment. One hopes there is a statute of limitation on offence.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-49448152381804402822021-03-05T08:58:00.002-08:002021-03-05T09:03:45.774-08:00Imbalances and simplistic statements<span style="font-family: arial;">Does anyone remember feeling a wee bit exceptional? Do you remember seeing through Unionist shenanigans, and being discerningly choosy about what to believe or disbelieve? While our English neighbours were choking down some barely concealed slurry, pissed out by some posh Tory, we were sitting up here nursing our cynicism - honed to a keen edge by the strop of a thousand constitutional debates.<br /><br />We knew our stuff, we were proud Scotland had the worst rate of payment for the BBC's television tax. We basked in our ability to see through the sometimes-dense patina that coated political jobbies, and we revelled in our skills at negotiating the skein of political discourse so we could understand exactly what turds they were trying to lay on our doorsteps. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwS4o9pxdxxL7GSqXoRjGnj6sPoMID501a93YNqaht2cN1UygXSktRGqctY7wvmCpOj6CCqGcW3BNpv-l7mj1afxv_5njMXyzPRfvVJwIkY02C_K0IbM9mmp-pi6MaIej7UGGy0HOE-Ar/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwS4o9pxdxxL7GSqXoRjGnj6sPoMID501a93YNqaht2cN1UygXSktRGqctY7wvmCpOj6CCqGcW3BNpv-l7mj1afxv_5njMXyzPRfvVJwIkY02C_K0IbM9mmp-pi6MaIej7UGGy0HOE-Ar/" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Google turd, and this appears.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Turns out we're no better than the average UK prole, which is a bit disappointing.<br /><br />The things Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon are being accused of, are not comparable - in any sense. Of course, you know that, you're not stupid. But I don't mean what they did or didn't do, I mean they're not comparable in terms of perception - and it's causing an imbalance we should be able to see through and cope with.<br /><br />But we're not.<br /><br />The allegations against Alex Salmond are straightforward, the rebuttals are complicated. The allegations against Nicola Sturgeon are complicated, the rebuttals are simplistic.<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The accusations levelled at Alex Salmond have all the weight of #MeToo behind them. Like the current trans-rights movement, which has a gravity all of it's own, it tends to mow down anyone and anything in it's way - however measured or reasonable they may be. Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon's accusations - a spot of political skulduggery - are far easier to excuse due to their mediocrity. (Except they're not really mediocre, an innocent man could have been jailed, possibly for the rest of his life.)<br /><br />The TL/DR version of this? If two parties are warring, and the accusations against one side are complicated, while the defence of the other is simplistic, it creates an imbalance in terms of how it's understood by us proles.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The independence movement is currently split three ways - Salmond independence supporters, Sturgeon independence supporters, and horrified independence supporters. The first two groups believe what they believe because they think they've deployed that finely-honed judgement. The third group, are still horrified.<br /><br />But only one group is right.*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For me? There are two things at the front of what passes for my mind. Firstly, a lot of people, (including Nicola Sturgeon), have dropped hints that although Alex Salmond was found not guilty, it doesn't mean his accusers were lying. To that, I'd say this: the jury can only return an innocent or guilty verdict, (I know, 'not proven' is also available, but it's a cop out - it means not guilty). While the answer a jury gives must be binary, the reasoning that leads to that answer is anything but.<br /><br />No one except the jurors know what reasons they had for finding as they did. Everything else - what Salmond's lawyer said in summation, (or on a train) - is tittle tattle and not admissible in court or informed debate.<br /><br />Secondly, I don't understand why Nicola Sturgeon would do any of this. I've read about imposter syndrome, or an expansive ego. It may be the people who wrote those words have inside information that I don't. But I don't buy it, so at this time, it's tittle tattle so not admissible in court or informed debate.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">On balance, putting all the tittle tattle to one side, much as I hate to say it - because I am a fan - this looks bad for Nicola Sturgeon. Much was made of the Moorov Doctrine in the lead up to Salmond's trial - hold on while I find an explainer...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimY1K-vGmXiiRvUu1nFUEaZNZwpC2ReAzLvQtnhqP2q1SYQluFsMaUiIW0YmRo0KJybUaqHTBgGdUiVNisPK6KoDb8dAjpm0L6c1lrxzdCzXmtpsZl7ReBoTXSbXF7Oh0R88XmbOlKKdB0/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="663" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimY1K-vGmXiiRvUu1nFUEaZNZwpC2ReAzLvQtnhqP2q1SYQluFsMaUiIW0YmRo0KJybUaqHTBgGdUiVNisPK6KoDb8dAjpm0L6c1lrxzdCzXmtpsZl7ReBoTXSbXF7Oh0R88XmbOlKKdB0/w451-h158/image.png" width="451" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">While not an exact comparison - Moorov talks about a witness statement when taken on its own meaning very little, but when taken with others, hinting at a 'course of conduct'. It seems to me, that could just as readily be applied to the activities of the Scottish Government's leadership these past few years.<br /><br /><br /><br />* The Horrified Independence Supporters are right.</span></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div></div>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-22954909031647034912021-03-04T04:10:00.002-08:002021-03-04T09:52:35.863-08:00It Lives.<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Wait now. What just happened?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Writing a blog is easy, writing a good blog is hard, and writing a great blog is really hard. You can stick to opinions or get forensic. Opinions are simple, forensic analysis isn't. I wouldn't bother looking back on previous blog posts here, they're all (hilariously) out of date. Suffice to say, I tried to be somewhat forensic, but gosh, it was a lot of work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The problem with sticking to opinion, is that too many people think theirs are facts. They are not. Yours aren't, and neither are mine. They're just collections of words which may or may not reflect generally accepted reality. If you're going to assert one of your opinions is fact, you need to back it up with some of that reality. Spunking out some 'fact' and when questioned, demanding <i>others</i> prove it's wrong, is not acceptable. It's difficult to put into words the extent to which people who do this should fuck off.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">You've all (mostly) seen what's gone on these past few days with the Salmond v. Sturgeon saga. Personally? I'm 100% torn about it. I refuse to become vituperative about either side, not because I don't have a view, but because I don't think expressing it would add to any resolution.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What I would say about it is, if you're dismissing entirely the arguments of any side because you a) haven't taken the time to look at the details, b) unconditionally like/dislike Alex Salmond, c) unconditionally like/dislike Nicola Sturgeon, or d) #MeToo - then your opinion, I'm afraid, is shit.<br /><br />Using social issues like 'me too', or trans-rights, or hate crime - or any other inequality, injustice, or political concern - as a shield or rapier with which to deflect genuine questions or do unfair harm - is an act of execrable cowardice, and accepting it unconditionally, is an example of intellectual imbecility.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">At this stage, it's an idea to include a picture, just to break up the text. Hold on while I find something... (And try to remember how to do it...)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbdHmnqkpPgM06yKGrGYskIW_jM-SmtFaNCOq-XXE3RqhivLAFGpphjp4CyEG5q55eq5DJsG4ABjTxTRtPLwMQsKUBu-2CEds02UcRkSqhJNvvCum0aBxBMCDlVpiTuuRwWcnKGcrpKWn/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbdHmnqkpPgM06yKGrGYskIW_jM-SmtFaNCOq-XXE3RqhivLAFGpphjp4CyEG5q55eq5DJsG4ABjTxTRtPLwMQsKUBu-2CEds02UcRkSqhJNvvCum0aBxBMCDlVpiTuuRwWcnKGcrpKWn/w183-h348/image.png" width="183" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Right now in Scotland, it feels like the adults are arguing and the kids have taken a side or are acting out. I've decided to look on askance. I genuinely can't think of anything else to do. <br /><br />I have no idea if this is a Unionist plot, generally speaking, I tend to think they're just not that good. However, I know there will be some exceedingly flinty-eyed individuals pulling strings in the background. <br /><br />How will I vote in May? Do you remember what going out for a meal was like? For me, I'd look at the menu, but decide what I'd have - at the last minute - when the time came to order. So I don't think I can say until I'm in the polling booth and the paper is in front of me. There would have been no question before, but now? Hmmm...<br /><br />In the meantime, I'm not a great writer, but it is a hobby. I've written a couple of books and tried to be professional about it. So I thought I'd rekindle this blog - but not as it was before - just as a place to vent. I'm not going to link out or comment overly on specifics - it's pure opinion.<br /><br />Feel free to share or comment as you see fit, (or not). I have no illusions about the value of the things my mind exudes, it is what it is.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-1745590353572246992017-06-12T08:36:00.000-07:002017-06-12T08:36:08.798-07:00That election... <div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">So the SNP took a drubbing, but started from an artificial high. In 2015, they went from 6 to 57 MP's, off the back of a betrayal by unionist parties who promised so much to get a No vote, then delivered approximately fuck all.</span></div>
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Last week, they held on to more than half of those MP's, with a normalisation of representation, differences around Brexit and hysterical unionist screechings about independence - those last two at the forefront of the media in Scotland.</div>
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Meanwhile Ruthy and Kez, who between them only barely scraped together half as many seats as the SNP, are still trying to dictate terms.</div>
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That mindset among Unionist politicians hasn't changed (it's got a lot worse), and it demonstrates why a unionist Brexit is going to be a massive shit show. The arrogance gets our hackles up, what's it going to do with a bunch of flinty-eyed EU negotiators?</div>
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Am I pissed off? Yes. A lot of decent, honest hardworking MP's - who spoke more often, attended more debates and claimed less in expenses than their predecessors - have gone, only to be replaced by place-men not beholden to their Scottish constituents, but to the party whip in London.</div>
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For any international readers (you never know), the Scottish Conservatives won 13 out of 59 Scottish seats, the SNP won 35. The Conservatives increased their seat count but still came a poor second. I'm only mentioning it because currently, the UK press are doing 'a Nuttall' and making it seem as if Ruth Davidson's benighted Conservatives won everything from the Boer War to Blankety fucking Blank.</div>
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And now it looks as if - even after over-playing for weeks any tenuous links Corbyn had with the IRA - in a tour d' force of hypocrisy, the Tories will now seek some sort of deal with the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) of Northern Ireland. There are a number of problems with this not limited to the DUP's beyond childish grasp of evolution and, you know - reality. It's also the rampant homophobia and opposition to women's rights...</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;">But also because - as I understand it - according to the Good Friday Agreement, the British Government (so the Conservative & Unionist Party) is the final arbiter of disputes at Stormont... And if the Tories are in some sort of unwritten coalition with the DUP (which <i>does</i> have links with loyalist terror groups) - it does rather fly in the face of fairness and, well, the entire premise of the Good Friday Agreement.</span></div>
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Hats off to Corbyn for giving May a stiff figurative twat upside the head, she needed it more than most, the horrible old autocrat that she is. </div>
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Personally, from her days as Home Secretary, I've always thought Theresa May was a fetishist when it came to looking - but not really being - in control. She seems to think being 'strong and stable' means coming to a decision then assuming a dead glassy-eyed look and repeating insipid vacuous mantras if circumstances change and she turns out to be wrong. </div>
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During the election campaign, did anyone ever hear her answer a question or admit she got something wrong? Its just not within her programming to do so, Theresa May lives in a world where compromise is weakness and contrition doesn't exist because she can do no wrong.</div>
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We are now all of us on a collision course with a long a varied list of things that'll be sideswiped, crushed and tossed over the roof - be that our relationship with the EU or Northern Ireland's relationship with the Republic of Ireland.</div>
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UK politics over the past 20-odd years has broken 'British' society - such as it was. And now that broken society is turning on itself. I don't agree with Corbyn when it comes to the union (although I think he'd talk honestly if it came to it), but his increased vote does gladden the heart, will it be enough to reverse our course though?</div>
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The UK is in a dive with a bumbling idiot at the controls - a bumbling idiot who is so catastrophically inhibited, she isn't capable of being aware of her shortcomings let alone anything else. I'm beginning to worry how many people she'll take out before we replace her at the helm.</div>
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pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-44595153662792567032017-06-05T09:45:00.003-07:002017-06-05T09:50:32.055-07:00Its all in the tone...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Got to say, I'm not as invested in the current political pantomime as I was in the 2014 referendum and subsequent performances - but one of the points marking the parties out in 2017 is demeanour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over here you have the increasingly demanding barks coming from the Tories and UKIP, while over there you have the soporific - almost hypnotically reasonable - tones of, well; parties who are not the Tories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watching the leaders debates (if you can be arsed that is), what I've seen in support of Team Theresa; at best - are those who think the impoverished are a threat so want to yank the ladder up behind them. And at worst, those who seem hell bent on knowing if the elected PM would incinerate millions in nuclear conflagration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If I lived in England, I'd vote Labour*. Okay, some of their economic policies might be a bit outre, but does anyone think May's policies (which are already biting hard, and not just in terms of personal wealth) would be any better? Of course, you have to take manifesto funding with a pinch of salt, but at least Labour tried. All the Conservatives do is remind us there's no such thing as a magic money tree... Except when it comes to dropping bombs or buying submarines to carry bombs, or destabilising middle eastern states, you know - that sort of thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, we know there <i>is</i> such a thing as a money tree - 2008 wasn't that long ago. However, that particular genus of topiary can only be plucked by the UK's finance sector (especially when it benefits the spouses and business interests of certain public servants). The name of the tree may-as-well only be in Latin - its called Quantitative Easing. Its an evergreen variety, it sprouts cash all year round (half a <i><u>trillion</u></i> smacks so far) - just not for the people who really need it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Conservatives are all about 'strong and stable', which seems to translate into overly-entitled and demanding, while pretty much all the other parties take a more conciliatory tone, which the Conservatives (and associated media incubi) like to translate into weak and chaotic (as opposed to nuclear obliteration - which wouldn't be chaotic at all right enough...)<br /><br />This election boils down to tone. Are you the kind of person who goes through life with a burning sense of entitlement? Do you feel the world owes you tribute and should bend and bow to your wishes - even if you don't really have the clout to back your expectations up - and it hurts others? Or do you feel that - in the absence of gunboats - sitting down to reach a mutually beneficial compromise would be more wise?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think this is the difference between Yes and No voters too. Independence supporters always understood and were comfortable with compromise. Where-as unionists (especially the die hard types) still think they should just have it all by rights. They're fish swimming in a pond so murky, they no longer have a sense of scale (ha ha) of it or themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tory Britain is already the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory_characters#Veruca_Salt" target="_blank">Veruca Salt</a> of the international community, its actually a wee bit embarrassing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nobody wants to be a bad egg right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* I live in Scotland, the only way to vote is SNP - until such times as those other parties start working for us and not the party whip at Westminster.</span></div>
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pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-13640819507909409102017-06-01T04:11:00.001-07:002017-06-01T04:11:58.431-07:00Boo! (The Death of Community)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't posted anything here for a while, and while I've still been writing elsewhere (mostly intemperate rants on Facebook about people eating apples or crisps noisily within earshot), I approach this with some trepidation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life is complicated, its almost impossible to distill </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it's many intricacies</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> into bite size chunks -</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and exactly the same is true about politics and this upcoming election.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is sort of what this post is about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have unionist parties standing in Scotland on the message: 'No to a divisive second indyref', which is fine, if a little one dimensional. Dugdale, Davidson & Rennie (its almost impossible not to fall into a rant about Ruth Davidson - she's worse than apples and crisps), are still trying to fob us off with simplistic chants about the complexities around Scotland's place in the United Kingdom, and indeed out of it if we so desired.<br /><br />Personally? My view hasn't changed, if anything - it's sharpened. It seems to me, if you live and vote in Scotland the choice is thus; you can vote for a party that will actually oppose the Tory agenda or you can vote for a party that <i>says</i> it will but will mostly abstain. Its what Labour did up till now and there's no reason to suppose they'll change. Sure, the SNP will never be able to outvote the Tories at Westminster, but neither will Labour in their current form and probably wouldn't even if they could - at least with the SNP, you can sleep at night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The real reason I'm writing this though, is because while in our Scout Group's committee meeting last night, (I know, bear with me), something became a lot clearer. I mean, I knew it was happening, but I suppose with this new example - it threw into stark relief the language and tone Conservatives like Ruth Davidson and others deploy on a daily basis and the changes it continues to make to our society.<br /><br />In Scouts across the UK, we have something like 50,000 kids on waiting lists, ignore for now that they're probably mostly middle class and not-exactly-struggling, because that isn't the point. Last night's meeting was held in the pub, its what normally happens. Once the business is taken care of, it becomes a social event. I made a passing comment about scout summer camp, I said if leaders from other sections wanted to come along, then they should. Summer camp used to be as much a social occasion for leaders as it was a week away for the kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it occurred to me, that's not not how it works anymore. We don't recruit leaders, we hold parents to ransom. The only way we can get new 'volunteers', is if a section will close when no one steps forward - what a way to run a community organisation. We no longer get folk interested in outdoor pursuits, we get parents who've been threatened with a Chinese burn if they don't step up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While many parents are eager to get their kids into Scouts at age six, they no longer think its their responsibility to support a community group they're so keen to take advantage of. And do you know what the most prevalent excuse is?<i> Its that they're paying for it.</i><br /><br />Even Scouts - one of the most well known voluntary organisations - is heading for a corporate model. What ever you think of leaders and volunteers in Scouts, will any voluntary youth organisation (for example) survive the death of community endeavour?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because this is the direction of travel. People are being encouraged to pull the ladder up behind them, those who are less well off are having ever more paths to betterment (ha!) closed to them - and all to <i>protect</i> the welfare and wealth of those who are already okay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're told that to be on the left is soft. We've become convinced that being community minded is somehow weak and unnecessary. Its all happened in a strange asymmetric way too - while being convinced we must protect our lot by leaving the less fortunate behind (don't worry, the Tories will see they're alright), we've decided we must also shut ourselves in and not engage with our communities.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of the parents putting their sprogs on waiting lists today will be my age, my earliest political recollection was of Thatcher going to war in the Falklands (which </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at the time,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I was positive was in Fife...) These folks and their kids are growing up into a new normal - where its okay to deprive disabled people of essential equipment and money, that its normal for some families to rely on food banks to feed their kids and that for a few paltry quid, a victim of rape must fill out a form to apply for a non-consensual conception exemption...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I've got to say, this is not normal - its disgusting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, all the kids I see are growing up into a society where this is all ordinary. They might all be a bit middle class, but they're decent kids who have no choice but to grow up in the context of the world that surrounds them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So for your kids sake, or other people's kids if you have none of your own... This is only going to get worse, we're only going to get more hard-bitten. Trickle down economics - I think we've ascertained - is so much arse gravy. The gap between the richest and poorest continues to grow. The sick, poor and disabled are being </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">systematically</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> killed off to satisfy a political dogma.<br /><br />I'm not going to say who you should vote for, but I will suggest you don't vote Tory, because by any measure, they are fucking horrible - and the day will come when the Scottish Parliament won't be able to assuage the worst assaults on decency coming from them. Already, we're being told - even with almost double the votes of any other party - the party of Government in Scotland does not have a mandate to deliver on its manifesto - and never will... The cutting away of the lifeboats is being set up in advance...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can rationalise all sorts of things away in order to reach a compromise about how we vote. But can we rationalise away mutual care and a sense of community? It seems to me, you never quite know when you might find yourself on the wrong end of circumstances, but if you do (and think about all that is going to change over the next couple of years), whether you like it or not, the goodwill of your neighbours will be the only thing keeping you and yours in the neighbourhood you're used to, and in getting you all back to where you want to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Equally, you might think the Tories have got it right, in which case - and I say this in my mildest tones - we'll have to agree to disagree.</span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-81332581845487038682015-03-04T05:02:00.001-08:002015-03-04T05:02:53.333-08:00Still here/Is it just me?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm still here, just. I know I do on occasion</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> deploy the editorial 'we' but its just me sitting here, there is no team. My Mum isn't well, she has Parkinson's Disease and recently its taken a turn for the worst, which is why there was no post last week and this week's is truncated. I could go on about my Mum but I won't, its just indescribably and heart-breakingly sad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been keeping up with the various sound bites coming from all sides, I think someone needs to tell Jim Murphy the Holyrood Election isn't until next year - the one in May is for Westminster. Arguing the toss about what he'd do as First Minister of Scotland (mind your sides don't split) is - with the best will in the world - stupid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beyond that, in terms of the looming Westminster election, the choice in Scotland is stark. Despite the campaign double step being tapped out by Murphy, Dugdale and Marra etc - it couldn't be simpler. The Westminster parliament - of which 'Scottish' Labour is a strident participant - only cares about itself, we only figure in their workings as a means to an end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea of doing something for people like you, me or my Mum doesn't occur to any of them as a serious proposition, they are thoroughly immersed in the austerity consensus that see's the interests of abstract economic ideas and immoral, psychopathic cultures in business and toxic empires within state apparatus as the be all and end all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Jim Murphy issues a volte-face closely followed by a breathy denial that he ever thought differently, the media barely notice. Yet, w</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hen a political party announces a policy that puts people ahead of those hateful things in the paragraph above; they are vilified</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and dismissed as naive by the usual suspects, many of whom profit from the status quo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That political parties would put things like Trident, Aircraft carriers or the personal enrichment of themselves and their cronies above things like free personal care for the elderly, providing a safety net for those whose prospects have been ruined by government mismanagement or looking after the poorest and most vulnerable in our society doesn't just beggar belief, its a fucking travesty of morality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whingeing effrontery puked out by embittered Libertarians as they descry the notion a vulnerable person might be getting something they need in place of something one of their wasp-chewing fellow solipsists </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">want is an insult to decency and social responsibility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I try not to be extreme here, it leaves you open to accusations of hysteria, but under the circumstances I think its okay to say; I hate Westminster and everything it stands for, I wish I could temper that statement with a line like; '...they do some good things' but even the good things they do are a sop to cover the callous disregard they have for those they've decided to leave behind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Westminster doesn't work for us, it works against us. It seeks to convince us of a perpetual fait accompli - that our existences will be punctuated by struggle <i>grudgingly</i> heaped upon us by an apologetic ruling class, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and to expect anything else is naive and simplistic</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - of course its all total bollocks because we can choose differently this coming May.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This last paragraph is aimed at one person in particular who quite likes their local MP. Unfortunately she's a Labour MP (Fiona O'Donnell). Her voting record is a lesson in itself, she's never rebelled against her party and since its a Westminster party, it stands for all of the above. Fiona might be likable, she might say she's against things like trident and austerity - but her record tells a different story. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Austerity isn't just a word, it is a thing that bites, it impoverishes the already poor, puts essential services at risk yet keeps the rich in place - if ever a policy could be said to be psychotic; austerity would be it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fiona might be fluffy in person but there's no getting round it - <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150113/debtext/150113-0003.htm" target="_blank">she voted for it.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Posts might be fewer and further between for a while, thanks as always to everyone who takes the time to read; its always appreciated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-33599632476946269342015-02-19T06:14:00.000-08:002015-02-19T06:14:29.134-08:00NHS Waiting times.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its not often I get to blog from actual experience and while I cannot claim to work for the NHS department responsible for dishing out statistics, its fair to say - from my desk situated at the throbbing heart of Scotland's National Health Service - I can offer something of an insight into How Things Really Work.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post might be a bit dull, so I'm including The Seven Wonders of the World to keep you interested. The Great Pyramid of Giza is first. Impress friends at dinner parties by referring to it by its lesser known names; The Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, I and the people who sit around me are the NHS staff most folk want to see the back of. It's in this building (among one or two others) where all the managers and bureaucrats so reviled by the taxpaying public work. However, people who work here do things like make sure lead gonad shields and aprons in x-ray departments aren't riddled with holes, negotiate contracts to make savings worth millions, plan new hospitals & health centres so they are fit for purpose - like checking doors are wide enough to allow ordinary or bariatric hospital beds (that we buy) to pass through or that new over-bed tables will actually go over the beds or (somewhat more critically) making sure women's bits aren't overly irradiated during mammography scans plus a heck of a lot more besides.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bit that I work in concerns itself with hospital equipping; its where the people who know about things like electro-medical or lab equipment sit. You can't just go out and buy a blood analyzer, pharmacy robot or a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_archiving_and_communication_system" target="_blank">PACS imaging system</a> for medical imaging (be that x-ray, CT or CAT scanning.) These things are often part of the fabric of the building so require a fair bit of forward planning.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVGOKymxIPNPcNNgMKy7-XZpd5FYHfc1l7-rlqVHL0uVluTXPK46-cdqeqYqINEBisy7yGa0mti292QFwZCiY9X_43pn4y4b0hDxAm6sKuauKDfNP_mqfPeJSJd39Qh59qqI0gQPPl4cL/s1600/HANGING-GARDENS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVGOKymxIPNPcNNgMKy7-XZpd5FYHfc1l7-rlqVHL0uVluTXPK46-cdqeqYqINEBisy7yGa0mti292QFwZCiY9X_43pn4y4b0hDxAm6sKuauKDfNP_mqfPeJSJd39Qh59qqI0gQPPl4cL/s1600/HANGING-GARDENS.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Babylonian Priest Berossus attributed their existence to Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezer II - he was so cool; </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">in The Matrix,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> Morpheus named his ship after him.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next time you're in a hospital or health centre, look out for bins - why? because bins are a pain in the arse. Every room must have at least one and it needs to be the right kind. If its a treatment area it'll need to have a domestic bin and a clinical waste bin - they'll also need to be the right size. I haven't even mentioned user preference - I mean to say - you'd think a bin was a fucking bin, but its not. You get solid walled bins, bins without walls, plastic bins, metal bins, bins of different colours (white for domestic waste yellow for clinical waste and red for body parts (joking) the entire bin can be coloured or just the lid.) You get soft closing bins (the standard these days) and waste paper bins also of different colours and capacities. Where I work, we make sure every room that needs a bin gets a damn bin. Take a project like Aberdeen's Emergency Care Centre; across seven floors we distributed 693 sack holders, 329 small pedal bins and 429 sanitary disposal bins. A</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nd its not just that, its everything from plug sockets to bog roll holders and paper towel dispensers, laboratory equipment to gamma cameras and CT scanners.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33gBBBTz0KnZAp9ap6ViSUz4inqyOPtk2vrUV5ScD0BVJqsTGdb6M_Tf27Z6c-jJRc4rg-8W7NscEvavbqK92Pc71hFaWb6UzprgUV4bWdLziUssLXHBSsqPjkEfNpolYNCIjMxefAf2G/s1600/Statue-Of-Zeus-at-Olympia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33gBBBTz0KnZAp9ap6ViSUz4inqyOPtk2vrUV5ScD0BVJqsTGdb6M_Tf27Z6c-jJRc4rg-8W7NscEvavbqK92Pc71hFaWb6UzprgUV4bWdLziUssLXHBSsqPjkEfNpolYNCIjMxefAf2G/s1600/Statue-Of-Zeus-at-Olympia.jpg" height="320" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zeus at Olympia; made famous by Laurence Olivier in the original (and much better) film Clash of the Titans.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over and above all of this, for clinical areas we also have HAI compliance - which stands for Healthcare Associated Infection - this is the reason nurses get all frowny when you sit on hospital beds or patient chairs, its why there are bottles of hand wash every five metres and its why buying hospital equipment isn't straight forward. For example, in examination areas you won't see any fabric covered furniture, it'll be vinyl; there will be blinds instead of curtains and there shouldn't be any untreated wood visible - even floors in new builds curve as they join walls so germs can't congregate in hard-to-clean corners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is also where the people who punt out all those statistics on waiting times, cancellations and attendances sit - its called <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/" target="_blank">Information Services Division</a>. I say that, the name might have changed, we've just been through a reorganisation and if I'm being honest, I'm no longer sure what division I work in, never mind ISD.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQZ7NwGpNRVz_HXo2s3tSEuHlM1io-FeB4Cvyra_w0f96L3I4nuxOJVCS6HE2jYtBROa8kAPnLREiVkDcWDQgWZXRg2PSX_Ui6mdI0zY-nSPAeds71fJqk1d0lpY4KhnMHHBP6Gd_A9Bq/s1600/artemisephesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQZ7NwGpNRVz_HXo2s3tSEuHlM1io-FeB4Cvyra_w0f96L3I4nuxOJVCS6HE2jYtBROa8kAPnLREiVkDcWDQgWZXRg2PSX_Ui6mdI0zY-nSPAeds71fJqk1d0lpY4KhnMHHBP6Gd_A9Bq/s1600/artemisephesus.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Sometimes (although less accurately) known as the Temple of Diana - what ever you do, don't let The Daily Express know. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the '<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-31508892" target="_blank">news</a>,' you'll never guess; we have Jenny Marra from Scottish Labour claiming credit for an SNP government U turn which didn't happen on a policy which up until that point Labour MSP's didn't give a shit about.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIgkMcD_lSFRB4_zfTi1nSmIhnuj7gTVuXby9vAwlkgw-o5rvGIIEjI8WHW-VCI5yudSE5xpT78gcjX01W4ZvnsmnTW1PuPRQrRjdpGX16eMPh674VDVBjId1deRppbmWKOb4MMVEo9dB/s1600/marra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIgkMcD_lSFRB4_zfTi1nSmIhnuj7gTVuXby9vAwlkgw-o5rvGIIEjI8WHW-VCI5yudSE5xpT78gcjX01W4ZvnsmnTW1PuPRQrRjdpGX16eMPh674VDVBjId1deRppbmWKOb4MMVEo9dB/s1600/marra.JPG" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its been a while since 'Scottish' Labour had the reins of government in their grubby little mitts, but when they did - they didn't report NHS statistics with <i>any</i> regularity - which leads us to my point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you would imagine, its a lot more complicated than you might think - to go from quarterly to weekly reporting is no mean feat, in fact, I imagine it'll present significant challenges. There are fourteen NHS boards in Scotland who collect & own the data required. Sitting to one side is National Services Scotland which is essentially thought of as another board but is mostly not patient facing - its where all those pesky managers and bureaucrats are - all that data coming from the boards needs to be shared with ISD (which is a division of NSS) then crunched.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WKEYOT1w62RV7KMJhj5JLYZ4NKZLKIZuJiUTWr62SDhK5sbdirT4Tb-CJvGdP3mQFCEbRLh5xoKaWy17b6vN_G5PLqeBONROLjh4OaWt8BMfq3Ail10SdivSZ7dLMQMwDrL2w9ErBMZC/s1600/Mausoleum_of_Halicarnassus_2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WKEYOT1w62RV7KMJhj5JLYZ4NKZLKIZuJiUTWr62SDhK5sbdirT4Tb-CJvGdP3mQFCEbRLh5xoKaWy17b6vN_G5PLqeBONROLjh4OaWt8BMfq3Ail10SdivSZ7dLMQMwDrL2w9ErBMZC/s1600/Mausoleum_of_Halicarnassus_2009.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Well this is awkward, A.K.A The Tomb of Mausolus, who was interred there with his wife Artemisia II of Caria... Who was also his sister... (As you do...)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except the word 'crunched' doesn't do it justice - its massive undertaking in terms of computing time. Also some of the data is patient identifiable - a huge no-no - so needs to be anonymised. After that it needs to be checked and checked again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take Orkney, home to the smallest NHS board serving just under 20,000 people. In Dec 2014, 419 A&E attendances were recorded. Hospital in-patient activity to September 2014 saw 1457 (Quarterly figure) patients treated across all specialties. At the other end of the spectrum you have Greater Glasgow & Clyde who's A&E departments saw 36,118 patients in December 2014 and saw 423,926 in-patients treated to the end of September 2014.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Colossus of Rhodes. Accounts differ, I like to think he stood astride the entrance to Mandraki harbour as drawn above. It was a statue of Helios; the Greek Titan-God of the sun. Some say Colossus referred to its height (some 30m.) There are scholars who believe it is what seafarers thought when they looked up and saw his 'package' as they entered the harbour. (I made that up.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I'm being a bore, even finding the information in the previous paragraph took monumental patience and while I didn't contemplate suicide as such, I never ruled out self harm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suffice to say, those figures represent the two boards at either end of the range in terms of population and represent a fraction of the patient facing activity all boards take part in. We haven't even mentioned the number of GP appointments or home visits, or talked about referral waiting times across all the various services the NHS in Scotland provide - not limited to cancer care, child health, drugs & alcohol misuse, dental care, health & social community care, heart disease, maternity & child birth, mental health (adult and child), sexual health, strokes and a good bit more besides.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D_Gn1L72AvBEKYj7dGT3CbXI_RNpPkzR7T5VxbvsOZ54O3HtoX8F7wDvO5Wl2h1XXvyMYyZF7S8DZ6alQTNsUrNbcZrUAhjaI7oAVODba0Y9WbsQhE0GviMd1JuDXsVeFFWhwpCN8cih/s1600/Alexandria_Egypt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D_Gn1L72AvBEKYj7dGT3CbXI_RNpPkzR7T5VxbvsOZ54O3HtoX8F7wDvO5Wl2h1XXvyMYyZF7S8DZ6alQTNsUrNbcZrUAhjaI7oAVODba0Y9WbsQhE0GviMd1JuDXsVeFFWhwpCN8cih/s1600/Alexandria_Egypt.jpg" height="116" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lighthouse at Alexandria.Finished in 247 BC, it was finally abandoned </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">1323</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> AD</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> after earthquake damage</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">. During that time, it was the tallest structure (120 to 137m tall) in the ancient world - which is impressive, but not as impressive as Helios' balls as you entered Mandraki harbour.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To get stats in all, or even some of those areas published on a weekly basis is going to be tough. I'm told the relevant departments are enthusiastically recruiting statisticians and analysts - </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bearing in mind, a large number saw their jobs evaporate during a previously severe workforce contraction -</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to get the figures out on a monthly basis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No doubt the clueless (<a href="http://munguinsrepublic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/hello-labour-anyone-at-home.html" target="_blank">and slopey shouldered</a>) Jenny Marra will be on hand to bemoan the number of so-called backroom staff employed by the NHS in Scotland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-47255983223768040182015-02-17T06:02:00.004-08:002015-02-17T06:02:43.221-08:00The Workhouse Comparison.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many will have seen on Twitter or in newspapers the claim that Westminster parties would dearly love to bash those in receipt of welfare even more by bringing back the workhouse. Its said half in jest, but how accurate a claim is it?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxD68L4DNgdlLWrlgDjFcm8Gibs6cs11QGELBcOHk0QXM_uITlLcJj5sIyX7duF8mmaNNhzOZ42_Fph2y9BN01C2OTzzsakfVqLyUW37zpT_lUxPBnWnOxc1UbF6puwX8VM23CwazQ04z/s1600/workhouse+wiki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxD68L4DNgdlLWrlgDjFcm8Gibs6cs11QGELBcOHk0QXM_uITlLcJj5sIyX7duF8mmaNNhzOZ42_Fph2y9BN01C2OTzzsakfVqLyUW37zpT_lUxPBnWnOxc1UbF6puwX8VM23CwazQ04z/s1600/workhouse+wiki.JPG" height="217" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The image above is the first paragraph from the main entry on Wikipedia about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workhouse" target="_blank">workhouses</a>, the gist of which is, a place where people could go for accommodation and work - since you couldn't go there and not work, the former was very much a condition of the latter.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikE9UOn2apQZTZZDXyso4TLdoFSDNxeb9utSq0rGsk8vV-ual4wvIL0Xr3N6t2muOPAyQfpjZTDyWPOce-Y2AiIWGIavFN0A3pgbpxsuIw72HK-UBMeQyiGHVl0-OvX4enXEh869uBey5s/s1600/cameronBBC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikE9UOn2apQZTZZDXyso4TLdoFSDNxeb9utSq0rGsk8vV-ual4wvIL0Xr3N6t2muOPAyQfpjZTDyWPOce-Y2AiIWGIavFN0A3pgbpxsuIw72HK-UBMeQyiGHVl0-OvX4enXEh869uBey5s/s1600/cameronBBC.JPG" height="358" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might think David Cameron's ideas around young folk doing community work isn't so bad. Certainly, conditions won't be anything like as bad as those you'd find in workhouse of ye olden days right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are those who scoff when you make the comparison - but, leaving the terrible conditions in the past - is there so much of a difference and if there is, is it a bad idea?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off; what David Cameron suggests <i>is</i> comparable to workhouses. If you don't do the 'community work' you don't get paid and if you don't get paid you don't eat or maintain the roof over your head - that seems to be indisputable.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2JwjAhJisQvsYJNnd6B9lknr3bChndrIwZbpOsWbMRZOsxhOqBT-SS-lmjbAQbOziO7wLtDMFr7ofUblFNipt2dAGSquSIU6o67FgiANNBzq4iudqTC7QZ57mi9DZ-_QJB3aJsMWe7vn/s1600/EastLothian3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2JwjAhJisQvsYJNnd6B9lknr3bChndrIwZbpOsWbMRZOsxhOqBT-SS-lmjbAQbOziO7wLtDMFr7ofUblFNipt2dAGSquSIU6o67FgiANNBzq4iudqTC7QZ57mi9DZ-_QJB3aJsMWe7vn/s1600/EastLothian3.jpg" height="176" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even East Lothian had a poorhouse (Scotland's versions of the workhouse.) Situated in East Linton but long since knocked down to make way for a community centre. (Photo H/T to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.6999998092651px; font-style: italic; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.workhouses.org.uk/EastLothian/" target="_blank">© Peter Higginbotham</a>.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly; what kind of community work are we talking about? Is it work in local business' that might otherwise be done by someone who was paid - as in 'a job'? The example given in the article above said <span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic;">"...such as making meals for older people."</span> Its a bit vague, we can't say if that could be a paid job or not, (we might also be suspicious of the quality of said meals if those preparing them were less than chuffed about having to do so.) Is it going to be painting swings or railings in local parks? Because that falls within the remit of community service - which is a thing people get when they've been bad - not being able to get a job between the ages of 18 & 21 isn't a crime, its a symptom of shitty governance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or could it mean placement in already existing voluntary organisations? Having worked in that sector (paid and not) from experience I can say, that won't work. For a start, as soon as you compel people to do a thing, its not voluntary and the very nature of voluntary work is that its, ummm, voluntary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this not just Workfare for the young, or will it be valuable experience in the work place? Given some of the <a href="https://realfare.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/unfair-workfare-the-stories/" target="_blank">experiences </a>with Workfare where people in work were laid off then offered the same job back via the scheme - it could be problematic. Workfare did specifically include private enterprise in placements, will that be the case for this latest Tory wheeze?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ambiguity will be deliberate because this will appeal to huge swathes of the population who feel young folk are getting a free ride, it would be easy to agree with them, if you're prepared to exclude all the complicated contributing factors that surround the problem. Or do we think Westminster parties would altruistically give young people who predominately don't vote, who are also in receipt of benefits meaningful, valuable employment experience over a quick gain from a soundbite policy, a cheap source of labour for big business or being seen to do something about the 'youth of today?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or could it be that there are very few jobs in the market for these young folk to apply for and those jobs that do exists, do not represent employment of a kind that would be recognised by the very people who'd support this kind of policy?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems to me, the age group this is aimed at - having been that age myself in the dim and distant past - when dinosaurs roamed the plains and we used to get lumps of coal to play with - is a formative time. We should be doing our best by these young folk, not treating them like criminals or second class citizens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We'll rue the day when this kind of treatment becomes the norm. While vassals of the British State run around sticking fingers in the fractured dyke that is Britain, they refuse to step back and see that plugging holes or slopping vapid policy filler around the ever-widening cracks just won't work any more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make no mistake, this policy - so attractive to pinch-faced Tories and their Labour imitators - is just so much watery grout thrown at the crumbling battlements of a doomed system of government, far from being answer to what ails the UK, its just another part of the problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-23518739075259628642015-02-06T06:20:00.000-08:002015-02-06T06:26:39.833-08:00Warm toilet seats.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I won't go over old ground by talking about the Ashcroft poll that came out earlier this week, except to say; while the prognosis for Labour and the Lib Dems in Scotland looks bad - we shouldn't sit back. I'm not talking about activists from all those incredibly worthy organisations like Women for Independence, Business For Scotland or National Collective (to name but a very few) because they'll be doing their thing regardless - they don't need to be told.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't panic, everything is fine - 'Scottish' Labour have deployed Hypnosquirrel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its us I'm talking about. We need to be out there boring the pants of friends, family and neighbours - well hopefully not boring them but certainly bringing up the subject of the General Election and who they might be awarding their vote to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With most of the Scottish media doing its best impression of a party political broadcast for 'Scottish' Labour, we need to do our best to remind our peers, pals and co-workers just how astonishingly crap they are.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look in to those eyes, you can't resist...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it safe to discount the Tories in Scotland? I'll stick my neck out and say yes - they're still marginalised in Scotland. The Lib Dem's on the other hand may elicit in those who previously voted for them a pity-vote. We've all got a soft spot for Charles Kennedy - the Liberal Democrat's answer to Party Boy - but we must stand firm against wishy washy emotive voting. If you feel yourself wavering in the polling booth, remember that Danny Alexander is a Lib Dem and uses your money to cart his wife and kids around the country - he's also simpering, Tory-enabling git.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not around the eyes...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Scotland, the problem has always been with trust - for years the SNP have been portrayed as chancers, usurpers and lightweights. Westminster pulls around its narrow, sloppy shoulders a thick cloak of effrontery - that a party might challenge the British State's hegemony - its treated as risible and the UK Press - grasping cheerleaders of the establishment - stands by ready to parrot the Union mantra of the day.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are feeling sleeeeeepy...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its not all about the SNP of course, if it makes any one feel better, they are a conduit (one that happens to be not bad - but not perfect either - in government) to something better. Imagine a Labour party that actually works for Scotland instead of enabling the London Head Office to gain votes in constituencies in the south of England? Imagine a Tory party ready to do its best for business' based in Scotland instead of the City of London? And imagine Liberal Democrats working hard for - ummm... Doing its best to - erm... Fighting hard for - something?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Could these poll results mean enough people in Scotland have finally realised the problem isn't left, right or middle; or capitalism, socialism or libertarianism - it's the union? Not to put too fine a point on it: its fucked.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your eyelids are getting heavy...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the latest <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=english+votes+for+english+laws" target="_blank">EVEL</a> turd shat out by the Tories via William Hague lands on the floor of various Westminster meeting rooms with a wet plap - any attempts to limit Scottish MP's voting in the house of commons is going to be fraught with problems - the Smith Commission's output was only ever going to be useful as scrap paper for primary school kids to doodle on, and even then - only if they did one-sided print runs.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vote Labour and buy me some nuts...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or does Scotland still suffer hopelessly and terminally from Warm Toilet Seat Syndrome? I know what you're thinking - what exactly is WTSS - well I'll tell you. You know when you're faced with the incontrovertible actuality that you need to go for a 'sit down', but you are far away from facilities offering optimum comfort and peace of mind? Which is a particularly verbose way of saying, you need to go to the toilet and the only available option is to use a public convenience - forgive my delicate Victorian sensibilities... You find a moderately clean looking cubicle suitably equipped with a door that locks, an adequate supply of toilet paper and no holes drilled in the walls in suspicious places.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You remove/decouple/unlatch (delete applicable) clothing as required and hover gently over the toilet seat - only to find on contact that it is disconcertingly warm. This is traditional Westminster voting in microcosm. As you cast an exasperated vote for the usual party - you are simultaneously repulsed and comforted. Equally; as you sit there - waiting for your bowels to evacuate - its nice that the toilet seat is warm, but the thought that it was made so by the arse of a perfect stranger whose personal habits you know nothing about, doesn't bear thinking about.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRyAY5UTztipZzlNKytOsGXmN4Rp_e3opF-hcfSBRtlSAXd6myfAGYC-UPIzfUuvA1RHGmyX0jyUTqSavhW0t579m7dOr5rSAInKTCYvjqjpYiu76T3vCk8Af9s-xkDYLvV9YBcIzmJSj/s1600/hypnosquirrel+bacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRyAY5UTztipZzlNKytOsGXmN4Rp_e3opF-hcfSBRtlSAXd6myfAGYC-UPIzfUuvA1RHGmyX0jyUTqSavhW0t579m7dOr5rSAInKTCYvjqjpYiu76T3vCk8Af9s-xkDYLvV9YBcIzmJSj/s1600/hypnosquirrel+bacon.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soooo veeeery Sleeeeepy...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not for a minute suggesting that if Scotland was an independent country, we'd all be able to defecate comfortably using brand new toilet seats or that if a toilet seat had been pre-warmed, some sort of notice - a Post It note for example - would be affixed to the wall describing the essence of the backside that took the chill off it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think what I'm trying to say is, perhaps we've reached a tipping point in Scotland. None of the London based parties are trusted any more - voters are no longer content to cast their vote based on the old two-and-a-half party system. They realise old voting habits offer little else but cold comfort because once the vote is in, their hopes and aspirations are flushed down the bog the next time their newly (re)appointed MP sits down on their pre-warmed (by an unpaid intern) luxury toilet seat (purchased with parliamentary expenses) for a dump.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z-KJ_S_Ui04ttbEDRkAAGoPh4uw9-Y7_I_2AcVl2bHYHir5C1DMzE1vHpd1-3GYmaT1GB93vtAVXKFP10fK3CMNCy1YNiCM2C87Z6CUNfozBiZXHC4kW9ztY6HIKr7qCwWlTmEit1_3u/s1600/hypnosquirrel+jolly+nice+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z-KJ_S_Ui04ttbEDRkAAGoPh4uw9-Y7_I_2AcVl2bHYHir5C1DMzE1vHpd1-3GYmaT1GB93vtAVXKFP10fK3CMNCy1YNiCM2C87Z6CUNfozBiZXHC4kW9ztY6HIKr7qCwWlTmEit1_3u/s1600/hypnosquirrel+jolly+nice+man.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LOOK INTO THE EYES...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For what it's worth, I'm still not sure the voting intentions as shown in Ashcroft's poll would necessarily equate to a Yes Vote if one took place tomorrow - my suspicion is, that while people are fed up with Westminster politics, enough of them still prefer a warm toilet seat - which is why ordinary folk like you and me need to re-initiate the kind of momentum that existed during the independence referendum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I wouldn't use that warm toilet seat analogy - its terrible.</span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-36194719781033825542015-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:002015-01-28T07:54:51.941-08:00New definition of Brass Neck.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was going to tweet this but the sheer wrong-headedness of it, the brazen incongruity - the logic-defying, sense-denying, two-faced, obviously opportunistic, epoch-busting craven effrontery of it, means a tweet could never do it justice.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fergus Ewing today <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-31016537" target="_blank">announced</a> there would be a moratorium on fracking in Scotland via the planning system. A UK wide moratorium was rejected at Westminster the day before yesterday with all but three Scottish Labour MP's abstaining (including Margaret Curran who claimed to have voted against.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brace yourself...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pC372IQpjtiMCByIk5kjce7UX3OQMBN1YFh0_Q27ILk6JENHwUIyPJyjGJgfbpmSPMQ7U3pBP09ePAvvTdrFkmpDgIr1J6-NgFHeUcJuPf4RjRfK9sGrdRMX40wzC62l_7tsbron_PCQ/s1600/hothersal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pC372IQpjtiMCByIk5kjce7UX3OQMBN1YFh0_Q27ILk6JENHwUIyPJyjGJgfbpmSPMQ7U3pBP09ePAvvTdrFkmpDgIr1J6-NgFHeUcJuPf4RjRfK9sGrdRMX40wzC62l_7tsbron_PCQ/s1600/hothersal.jpg" height="143" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm surprised Duncan manages to tweet anything at all, his synapses no longer believe anything his neurons are peddling.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through the vehicle of keepie-uppies (and a severe Vitamin D deficiency - the legs Jim, put them away) - Jim Murphy and his 'Scottish' Labour chums saved Scotland again.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ys5KRUIN1sIAXuqo2HhQiJ6PUH4k7AYCvLzpmj04diMSq173WTrtNyuOObFWzrV9SnEJcjFEszp8A-_6HpR3_2aFtzyuGE6gzc-0oM7Sksh8jROYp1ZKkATfkoqbouZq6SKIAwEj98dA/s1600/Jim-Murphy-football-skills-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ys5KRUIN1sIAXuqo2HhQiJ6PUH4k7AYCvLzpmj04diMSq173WTrtNyuOObFWzrV9SnEJcjFEszp8A-_6HpR3_2aFtzyuGE6gzc-0oM7Sksh8jROYp1ZKkATfkoqbouZq6SKIAwEj98dA/s1600/Jim-Murphy-football-skills-5.jpg" height="267" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the vote on a moratorium on fracking took place at Westminster, Jim was dressing up as a footballer in Aberdeen. If only Scottish law makers knew this was a more effective method of changing government policy...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, according to some anyway...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes we stare agog at tweets & comments coming from Labour flunkies - but we forget; the only way a person could truly <i>support</i> 'Scottish' Labour is if they have similar values & syllogisms <i>to</i> 'Scottish' Labour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not sure why we're surprised.</span></div>
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pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-58131303657055444632015-01-27T02:15:00.000-08:002015-01-27T02:58:21.880-08:00Fracking for Normal People.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People may have been reading over the past few days about something called the Infrastructure Bill - it just had its third reading in the House of Commons yesterday (26th January.) Consequently, there is a lot of commentary going on about who voted for what. It was made more complicated because there were two votes last night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Licences to frack are covered by the Petroleum Act 1998, I don't want to go into the details of fracking or whether its good or bad except perhaps to posit the notion; if you don't know about something its probably best left alone until you do. Currently, powers over licencing sit with the Department of Energy and Climate Change - this is a Westminster Government department so has nothing to do with Holyrood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what happened last night with this Infrastructure Bill? First of all, what is it. This isn't as easy to ascertain as you might think, I mean, fracking is quite important - since we don't know for sure what the ramifications are (although some accounts involve flaming taps and earthquakes) you'd think they'd make it a bit clearer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the preamble from <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2014-2015/0154/cbill_2014-20150154_en_1.htm" target="_blank">the bill</a>:</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Make provision for strategic highways companies and the funding of transport services by land; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision for the control of invasive non-native species; to make provision about nationally significant </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">infrastructure projects; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision about </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">the Homes and Communities Agency and Mayoral development corporations; to make provision about </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">the Greater London Authority so far as it exercises functions for the purposes of housing and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">regeneration; to make provision about Her Majesty’s Land Registry and local land charges; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision to enable building regulations to provide for off-site carbon abatement measures; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision for giving members of communities the right to buy stakes in local renewable electricity </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">generation facilities; to make provision about maximising economic recovery of petroleum in the United </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Kingdom; to provide for a levy to be charged on holders of certain energy licences; to enable Her </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to exercise functions in connection with the Extractive Industries </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Transparency Initiative; to make provision for underground access to deep-level land for the purposes of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">exploiting petroleum or deep geothermal energy; to make provision about renewable heat incentives; to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">make provision about the reimbursement of persons who have paid for electricity connections; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision to enable the Public Works Loan Commissioners to be abolished; to make provision about the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">electronic communications code; and for connected purposes.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the bit about fracking:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Make provision for strategic highways companies and the funding of transport services by land; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision for the control of invasive non-native species; to make provision about nationally significant </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">infrastructure projects; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision about </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">the Homes and Communities Agency and Mayoral development corporations; to make provision about </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">the Greater London Authority so far as it exercises functions for the purposes of housing and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">regeneration; to make provision about Her Majesty’s Land Registry and local land charges; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision to enable building regulations to provide for off-site carbon abatement measures; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision for giving members of communities the right to buy stakes in local renewable electricity </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">generation facilities; </span>to make provision about maximising economic recovery of petroleum in the United </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Kingdom; to provide for a levy to be charged on holders of certain energy licences; to enable Her </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to exercise functions in connection with the Extractive Industries </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">Transparency Initiative; to make provision for underground access to deep-level land for the purposes of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">exploiting petroleum or deep geothermal energy; <span style="color: #cccccc;">to make provision about renewable heat incentives; to </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">make provision about the reimbursement of persons who have paid for electricity connections; to make </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">provision to enable the Public Works Loan Commissioners to be abolished; to make provision about the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.2880001068115px; text-align: justify;">electronic communications code; and for connected purposes.</span> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm still not sure about the 'Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative' - I'm just assuming its to do with fracking. In its entirety, the bill goes on for some <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2014-2015/0154/cbill_2014-20150154_en_1.htm" target="_blank">109 pages</a> but last night's activity in the House of Commons consisted of a debate then two votes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One was to do with devolving licences to frack to the Scottish Parliament, the other concerned a (Lib Dem proposed) moratorium on fracking across the entire UK. (Point to note, Northern Ireland already has the power to licence onshore petroleum recovery, including fracking. Off shore exploration/extraction still sits at Westminster.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The upshot was put most succinctly in this morning's edition of The National:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieVreyodNeL2xFUeeJ1n1kQEXnp5aQG4-DK559MYhSes3R1S4EZO1CMduoQapgTV5qorVHJktULZOTc7j35OAUmUN-gxNUktCfpNao69T03r0FwYr_L_QE4j-sFL_Go0rmqtdUQilixv6/s1600/national.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieVreyodNeL2xFUeeJ1n1kQEXnp5aQG4-DK559MYhSes3R1S4EZO1CMduoQapgTV5qorVHJktULZOTc7j35OAUmUN-gxNUktCfpNao69T03r0FwYr_L_QE4j-sFL_Go0rmqtdUQilixv6/s1600/national.JPG" height="400" width="196" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much of what goes on by politicians is calculated, while we can't say if Labour's attempts to devolve licencing around fracking to the Scottish Government was calculated to fail, given their very public opposition to just about any powers (actual powers, not responsibilities) being devolved to the Scottish Government - you'd be forgiven for being suspicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be clear, Labour MP's like Curran & Nash voted for licencing being devolved, the problem is, they <i>abstained</i> from voting on a moratorium on fracking across the UK. What can one read in to that? Labour themselves are frozen by indecision but don't mind passing the buck onto others. They are the political equivalent of the classroom clype - worse than that, they'll happily line up others to carry the can while they hide in the sandpit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To carry the analogy further, its a game of pass the parcel with the prize being a turd wrapped in several layers of very bad newspaper coverage. Ineos who own the Grangemouth refinery are currently importing Shale Gas (which is what you get from fracking) from Pennsylvania - this costs money and they (oddly) argue it adds to the carbon footprint of the process. They want to secure domestic supplies of Shale Gas which means fracking around the central belt, Fife, the Lothians - you've seen the map...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTYEa2diTumIiuCoH2SZASj2-NGJ-0BIhzfnfvsWbt9c830qV7taYwdHRrhO7SplY4pIBhV1qcP2DNG2uo676k1hc0axMmu7ecQlZ9LFxauwaW2gfcgLFW-NYRgwzWwYiUKeO9WrS95Rk/s1600/Shale-oil-exploration-map-DECC-Scotland-SEA_Licence_Prospect_On-Darker-shaded-areas-are-open-to-licence-applications.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTYEa2diTumIiuCoH2SZASj2-NGJ-0BIhzfnfvsWbt9c830qV7taYwdHRrhO7SplY4pIBhV1qcP2DNG2uo676k1hc0axMmu7ecQlZ9LFxauwaW2gfcgLFW-NYRgwzWwYiUKeO9WrS95Rk/s1600/Shale-oil-exploration-map-DECC-Scotland-SEA_Licence_Prospect_On-Darker-shaded-areas-are-open-to-licence-applications.jpg" height="295" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ineos (and others) have already been awarded licences to frack in the central belt, last night's vote would have suspended the award of further licences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Currently, the Scottish Government has no powers over licensing but could block Hydraulic Fracturing through the planning process. That puts them in an invidious position: on the one hand they'll have the anti-fracking pressure groups with their concerns and on the other Ineos and all those jobs. As we know, when it comes to jobs, Ineos play <a href="http://fazzledown.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/grangemouth.html" target="_blank">very hard indeed</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Labour on the other hand are free and clear - or they seem to think so. Their duty has been discharged, they wanted (to be seen wanting) licencing devolved but their motion was defeated. We shouldn't forget though, they abstained from voting on a moratorium across the UK which arguably would've achieved the same thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While all this was going on, the Scottish Labour Leader - who will 'not allow Scotland to be a Guinea Pig' for fracking' - was engaged in <a href="https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/470655/jim-murphy-set-sign-aberdeen-fc/" target="_blank">serious business</a> north of the border.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3i0iNoydLhK0ggVZ9hiy_7bt4x60gBDUpW9VOidmpn57mf4NIynXpX450PoBQU-nx0ps5_1Hb-NUi2rXArE1jENCO-eUwhNFO4N2AIX8Hme3GPW58IXNicdb_O_By56ZLFkqxPzWtxTR/s1600/Jim-Murphy-football-skills-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3i0iNoydLhK0ggVZ9hiy_7bt4x60gBDUpW9VOidmpn57mf4NIynXpX450PoBQU-nx0ps5_1Hb-NUi2rXArE1jENCO-eUwhNFO4N2AIX8Hme3GPW58IXNicdb_O_By56ZLFkqxPzWtxTR/s1600/Jim-Murphy-football-skills-5.jpg" height="333" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim Murphy: "Have you seen my football?". </span></td></tr>
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pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-19478094638393691312015-01-14T02:39:00.000-08:002015-01-14T02:39:41.034-08:00He's not a unionist, he's a very naughty boy.<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The latest shtick from 'Scottish' Labour's Sales Manager (Northern Region) is that he's not actually a unionist.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVquLkjZHKzxtWJl6Aa5ZApMLJYyA4TbqN2iqsNcbntGXwNlGMMlExpV1-mubiGWBAblyj77cwYxCM-BqO2RK0g577g_0JoGz2b8Y9cpjD_1MbZAjAHJYmXrPYE0kicCRim4LMREfM2Kp/s1600/Jim-Murphy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVquLkjZHKzxtWJl6Aa5ZApMLJYyA4TbqN2iqsNcbntGXwNlGMMlExpV1-mubiGWBAblyj77cwYxCM-BqO2RK0g577g_0JoGz2b8Y9cpjD_1MbZAjAHJYmXrPYE0kicCRim4LMREfM2Kp/s1600/Jim-Murphy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sold to the mug in the back row.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim has been telling us all the last couple of years were just a horrible dream - it seems he emerged dripping from the shower this morning just like Bobby Ewing did in Dallas, totally perplexed as to why any one ever thought he was a unionist. In the same way Pam Ewing, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">J.R. and Miss Ellie</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> lived Dallas Series 9 as if Bobby was dead - we lived the past two years as if Jim was an outspoken crate-abusing British Establishment fanboy. Only none of it is true, its not him - its us. We've all been living a nightmare, we've been existing in an alternate reality where George Foulkes talks a lot of shit, bears do shit in the woods and Jim Murphy has been terrorising old folk into voting for a union that disadvantages them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, he's been explaining:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I have never been a unionist... It’s never been my political tradition...</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a family of Irish Catholic immigrants we’re not unionists."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He went on to say: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I grew up in a family of trade-unionists, but we’re not political unionists.”</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the bizarre bit, its even dafter than the Dallas plot device:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“A Conservative & Unionist tradition inside the Conservative Party and elements of the Liberal Democrats, and you had a trade-unionist and socialist solidarity tradition inside the Labour Party. <b>For a moment there was an alignment for different reasons of political culture and history, but that moment is gone.”</b></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXpEFFRjGcl19tWAmApbDqs1avIeBxRhJwIUuB11Q1hz_JqePlSCDQ5RUJhshLqdqU17A4JxAJRp2FG4lbaAbGNtK4ziMeGGvh8s0726jyk9vTXmojHCDlrZB3Zj4iTg-IqNrhIfnApHB/s1600/limmy-wit-o.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXpEFFRjGcl19tWAmApbDqs1avIeBxRhJwIUuB11Q1hz_JqePlSCDQ5RUJhshLqdqU17A4JxAJRp2FG4lbaAbGNtK4ziMeGGvh8s0726jyk9vTXmojHCDlrZB3Zj4iTg-IqNrhIfnApHB/s1600/limmy-wit-o.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even the Daily Record - a paper that revels in a good bit of misrepresentation - adopted a tone of incredulity while reporting Jim's revelation; a revelation shared while Jim could have been at Westminster voting against yet more austerity which harms the poorest for whom he claims to be a champion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We should read between the lines and take Jim's peculiar epiphany for what it actually is - an admission that the Union and anything associated with it is now toxic in Scotland. Even people who were at the vanguard of the No Campaign accept the referendum was won with fear - its that and an increasingly slender tendril of emotional attachment, mostly among old folk, that currently keeps the crumbling edifice from collapsing entirely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim wants Scottish voters to believe he's taking a stand against interference in Scottish affairs from Westminster 'unionist' parties - including his own. What he's really doing is trying to distance himself and 'Scottish' Labour from the Union entirely because he knows its septic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, he seems to be labouring under the misapprehension that he can deploy the same plot device staff writers on Dallas did with Bobby Ewing. Which begs the question; how stupid does he think Scottish voters are?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9sK0zJMxm6jOJAn2T8xzNrgVkHC_LZGxTx7hNy3jW_yOyp0wJbsECMJYXInZATgLlxDunZHX5ufCtZkiVGIWTzYgxrAhfAxJs89RLNFNNz9kU7telDAuTcp_R8N7BQx-oh9JLbKJoQK3/s1600/bobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9sK0zJMxm6jOJAn2T8xzNrgVkHC_LZGxTx7hNy3jW_yOyp0wJbsECMJYXInZATgLlxDunZHX5ufCtZkiVGIWTzYgxrAhfAxJs89RLNFNNz9kU7telDAuTcp_R8N7BQx-oh9JLbKJoQK3/s1600/bobby.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The moment Pam Ewing realises she's been dreaming all along and Jim Murphy isn't a Unio- Sorry, Bobby isn't dead.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its probably only a matter of time before Jim tells us he's actually in the SNP.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxfubr2XE7yjYzYu7q5DcmVYTokocUptgaW2qKn_jXsMGJjg5Uo5oy9_0s8H-YL32zwZw5QUKw_ZQLWaaZZSJqJBUU_n67saLdckPRFNvH0u0Qw_PwrN7czKS5mZs_DCLsAmlSKsIahle/s1600/East-Renfrewshire-MP-Jim-Murphy-530037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxfubr2XE7yjYzYu7q5DcmVYTokocUptgaW2qKn_jXsMGJjg5Uo5oy9_0s8H-YL32zwZw5QUKw_ZQLWaaZZSJqJBUU_n67saLdckPRFNvH0u0Qw_PwrN7czKS5mZs_DCLsAmlSKsIahle/s1600/East-Renfrewshire-MP-Jim-Murphy-530037.jpg" height="189" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The fact is, I've never been in the Labour party..." - Jim Murphy, March 2015. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-8252700922553592162015-01-08T03:05:00.003-08:002015-01-08T03:05:58.487-08:00The Oily Jackie Baillie.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cards on table; I cannot stand this woman. Her politics are multi-faced, superciliously dishonest and corrosive - I have no idea why any one votes for her. I'm currently working my way through Will Black's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychopathic-Cultures-Toxic-Empires-Black-ebook/dp/B00QXXG02U" target="_blank">Psychopathic Cultures and Toxic Empires</a> and I've previously read Jon Ronson's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychopath-Test-Jon-Ronson-ebook/dp/B0050CJNO2/" target="_blank">The Psychopath Test</a>. While the latter is light hearted in places, the former is a more academic - although still easily accessible read - that paints a very dark and thoroughly credible picture of the Establishment in the UK.</span><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDY9IXhNf4j91WkYL9zNFY_lHNA49t_PrMm0xItiUZ5qKvv6H6mR4jAxHXzm9VPwCSFxurwvzP01nAV_MmhVmy_SDd0YiLuqvuw3chcE9gFDYfSEgJyXQjtIXUcxlztLV-x-HXnQrQffL/s1600/book+cover_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDY9IXhNf4j91WkYL9zNFY_lHNA49t_PrMm0xItiUZ5qKvv6H6mR4jAxHXzm9VPwCSFxurwvzP01nAV_MmhVmy_SDd0YiLuqvuw3chcE9gFDYfSEgJyXQjtIXUcxlztLV-x-HXnQrQffL/s1600/book+cover_.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I don't imagine Jackie Baillie is a psychopath, Will Black postulates the notion that organisations can become psychopathic; in the beginning, someone with psychopathic traits might set the tone - but quite normal people are drawn in and compelled to behave like psychopaths without any of the psychiatric or physiological components.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since some important markers of psychopathy are a superficial veneer of charm, a manipulative character and a complete inability to empathise or truly care about others - you begin to see why I've gone off on this particular tangent. I also wanted to recommend Will Black's book; in the same way that its fun to follow on Google Earth the route of a travelogue you might be reading, (such as - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Glen-Way-Arran-ebook/dp/B00RKH7IZG" target="_blank">ahem</a> - I have for sale*.) It is also fascinating (and thoroughly disturbing) to apply some of the knowledge gleaned from Will Black's book about psychopathy to well known Establishment figures - it puts a lot of things into a worrying perspective we all absolutely need to be aware of.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6CfO4wBvRFQcrZypZRXGjACu1kxIaVGOQshsNSZhJ7U6i7pNDg18sXlp2Wal22FDKvuWvn4-kKYnvjYunho7g6G2u0mn0Fd02aM93-yYNWy5krC4GDr8b4EeAY3hAXiftJHJAkeC8wDu/s1600/bootscovernew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6CfO4wBvRFQcrZypZRXGjACu1kxIaVGOQshsNSZhJ7U6i7pNDg18sXlp2Wal22FDKvuWvn4-kKYnvjYunho7g6G2u0mn0Fd02aM93-yYNWy5krC4GDr8b4EeAY3hAXiftJHJAkeC8wDu/s1600/bootscovernew.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* Its the two previous short travelogues edited slightly and rolled into one, don't buy it if you already bought those. Please share the link though, proceeds still go to Scouts.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, back to Jackie Baillie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all know her's are the politics of spin, indeed, it is a little known fact that when Jackie speaks, she has to be anchored to the ground - much like a helicopter in a strong breeze - lest she accidentally takes to the skies. In some regards, she's exactly the sort of person you want in politics, hold on now - bare with me... Honesty in a politician is subjective and always in doubt; when they speak, there is a small worm (or a huge alien space-monster) of doubt when it comes to the truth. However with Jackie Baillie; if she's communicating in any way, shape or form - she's lying. No ifs, buts or probably's - as Jimmy Nail sang in his 1992 smash hit Ain't No Doubt - <i>"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iF47M3YDlg" target="_blank">shes lying</a>."</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTiDv4yKv35x96EI_rjuOVYo1dRQ0J96A-OJAExTkeSNYT0dJD9XDsL_7EyDoVlCIJdAkITZwFSinn1STZsXzimuDimHp1zldjRXNr0qsPU0gVQ5tIUuX6laRkJ11uPSBmP7pYnSYO7EA/s1600/Jackie-Baillie-MSP-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTiDv4yKv35x96EI_rjuOVYo1dRQ0J96A-OJAExTkeSNYT0dJD9XDsL_7EyDoVlCIJdAkITZwFSinn1STZsXzimuDimHp1zldjRXNr0qsPU0gVQ5tIUuX6laRkJ11uPSBmP7pYnSYO7EA/s1600/Jackie-Baillie-MSP-2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A huge alien space-monster</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie Baillie</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may be aware, the price of a barrel of oil has fallen to below $50 - the lowest price since 2009. While car drivers leap in to automobiles and recklessly drive hundreds of miles for no reason - Jackie Baillie; presumably at the behest of new boss John Murphy (<a href="http://scottishstatesman.com/john-jim-murphy-left-with-egg-on-his-face/" target="_blank">snigger</a>) took to twitter to say...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4CCH1LBvXwhjNWXIt4nwKnVWE8za7b0GHWaSBjTEswiXcaDYb0zkAYWSWUo9LsH4uOYjgCMYBGYr8mU_ai6qX2PJ5KhSKuaPIlqvI0hGTa30rQAbqwHYgGjwUIZvvkmEd4jBoB39YAuV/s1600/JB2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4CCH1LBvXwhjNWXIt4nwKnVWE8za7b0GHWaSBjTEswiXcaDYb0zkAYWSWUo9LsH4uOYjgCMYBGYr8mU_ai6qX2PJ5KhSKuaPIlqvI0hGTa30rQAbqwHYgGjwUIZvvkmEd4jBoB39YAuV/s1600/JB2.jpg" height="42" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, not a million years ago...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYF_JXCfkQBO1qKkv9wDQIfh4xY9fcz6vvo66OUUnXJ9ro7AFXWHekIjlfv7w3QM_dQ-jhKMb9I-G7BHvJeVdpP6xvMjHOxOJPyC-ZLW2ZlMidufXpU6ATh-wZZ3xXseaMmH9KR_k8utOg/s1600/JB1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYF_JXCfkQBO1qKkv9wDQIfh4xY9fcz6vvo66OUUnXJ9ro7AFXWHekIjlfv7w3QM_dQ-jhKMb9I-G7BHvJeVdpP6xvMjHOxOJPyC-ZLW2ZlMidufXpU6ATh-wZZ3xXseaMmH9KR_k8utOg/s1600/JB1.jpg" height="38" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mmm; beware the giant space-monster.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For clarity; the SNP and wider Yes Campaign lost the referendum. While we're still periodically told to get over it by the 'winners' - that they think we're not, doesn't mean they can demand the Scottish Government bails out an industry it </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wanted</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to manage directly while the London exchequer <i>continues</i> to profit from. Its the same self-serving logic that applied to so-called Scottish banks who paid all their tax income to London pre-crash but miraculously became a Scottish responsibility post-crash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baillie is a no-mark politician ignored by most except me right now and the Daily Record more generally, but her comments tell a story. They shine a light on a renewed & reinforced Scottish economic reality since the referendum. In the same way Westminster socialised the ruinous loses made by banks while privatising profits - via Baillie, they now suggest offsetting the stagnation of economic activity within the oil industry by socialising the costs of a so-called 'resilience fund' (which is exactly the same thing as an oil fund) to the Scottish Government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deep breath...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie wants the Scottish Government to shore up a UK-wide industry with money from a diminishing block grant which is already a sum far less than Scotland's total tax income - to the cost of Scottish services (the quality of which she complains about incessantly) - by creating and using a 'resilience fund' (A.K.A an oil fund) which is a thing she strongly disagreed with having seven months ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And relax.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie Baillie must have a double garage to store all of her faces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reading that back, there's some serious opinion and commentary above. I fully expect it to appear in the sidebar on the letters page of The National and to be invited to offer my opinion during the end slot of Scotland 2015 with Duncan Hothersal or some other unionist lick-spittle...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh well.</span></div>
pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-82293897611836967592015-01-06T05:50:00.000-08:002015-01-06T05:50:03.519-08:00You Get What You Pay For...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's worse than replacing Trident with another really expensive nuclear deterrent?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Replacing it with a really cheap one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similar to Ed Miliband's own ambitions to depose Dish Face Cameron and be prime minister; he wants to replace something incredibly expensive, not fit for purpose and crap for something incredibly cheap, not fit for purpose and crap.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/politics/miliband-wants-budget-deterrent-1.771867" target="_blank">link</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similar to VW's current TV ad campaign; the blundering cretin Miliband would prefer to have cheap nuclear bombs parked on the Clyde as opposed to expensive ones.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0odpP8ybsfXvkuQYYT3g_11rMAkeiqU1dBH0Al7Wn_mF4duvJIguIagjy5VjzDGo9uH2lOodb8SJXgGxMjmm-LXk9JY78RKteKpABQFcaK4QQWXxGnlKqrQpo8OweMakTd6m_kKHdhSj/s1600/VW+ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0odpP8ybsfXvkuQYYT3g_11rMAkeiqU1dBH0Al7Wn_mF4duvJIguIagjy5VjzDGo9uH2lOodb8SJXgGxMjmm-LXk9JY78RKteKpABQFcaK4QQWXxGnlKqrQpo8OweMakTd6m_kKHdhSj/s1600/VW+ad.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But wait, because that's not all. <i>UK</i> Labour with Ed at the controls is matching his policies with the entirely separate, stand-alone, nothing-to-do-with-us-no-sirree <i>Scottish</i> Labour - and pledging 1000 more budget nuclear warheads than, well, ummm, <i>ANYONE ELSE.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giddy readers might want to know how Ed is funding UK Labour's budget nuclear arsenal </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- he's going to instigate a 'hovel tax' because apparently; we don't have any fucking mansions in Scotland.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All aboard the Rocket Ship UK Labour. Your pilot today is Captain Ed Miliband. Refreshments will be served by our cabin boy Jim. Now; for your comfort, here's the lovely Kezia with some vital safety notices...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-57837074759549051262014-12-31T02:58:00.000-08:002014-12-31T02:58:42.034-08:00Driving Nationalist Tendencies.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was hoping to finish the year on a positive note but then I came to my senses - there isn't much that separates Christmas and New Year in terms of faux expectation and eventual disappointment. I was going to try and avoid adding to it but then I saw this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUFPEucBN9JW-00r9qZ4dLnlqCSYcJ5DoGLFr6WYt652PpiNTCLkjSoMOKwVKslhMphhgOKQRnipgJsgjHlucTYJbZL4dzDmPkX5cJADaa4hrjGtqR49YJf6p25y7iBvHFVA4wIi4jQtN/s1600/driving+licence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUFPEucBN9JW-00r9qZ4dLnlqCSYcJ5DoGLFr6WYt652PpiNTCLkjSoMOKwVKslhMphhgOKQRnipgJsgjHlucTYJbZL4dzDmPkX5cJADaa4hrjGtqR49YJf6p25y7iBvHFVA4wIi4jQtN/s1600/driving+licence.jpg" height="347" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's not much left to say and not much of 2014 remaining to say it - except...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do fuck off Claire.</span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7488826927992195485.post-27400351804515674562014-12-24T06:44:00.000-08:002014-12-24T06:44:46.472-08:00A Last Gasp of Madness for 2014.<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most folk know that Christmas can be something of a magnifier for things that are otherwise dormant for months and years. As people desperately rush around trying to prepare, tempers fray and frustration builds - and for what exactly? The shops are heaving with people manically pawing at goods, wondering if they'll be adequate enough to sate the seemingly desperate needs of family and friends. Cards are placed reverently on the desks of work colleagues who under normal circumstance wouldn't be pissed on if they were on fire while family members you detest are welcomed with open arms even although it'll be more moan moan moan than ho ho ho.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJictXgo0kAn1WrHg7ske9WfhonYNGFrLDo5WVaetxKqSGMdt3xwn75O0hLp_QSArR3-LZXzen96IXaFnK651tGNXqz03GwHHLZ5jIKjm4eG-KERLqsbHt-UTRufY97rKNC64oU9ZWXgnt/s1600/ChristmasTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJictXgo0kAn1WrHg7ske9WfhonYNGFrLDo5WVaetxKqSGMdt3xwn75O0hLp_QSArR3-LZXzen96IXaFnK651tGNXqz03GwHHLZ5jIKjm4eG-KERLqsbHt-UTRufY97rKNC64oU9ZWXgnt/s1600/ChristmasTree.jpg" height="200" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel queasy.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, round the giant fibre optic Christmas tree, children's faces glow with the expectation of material gain while parents fret over the payday loan they had to take to finance it all. Later, when they've finished scraping the kids of the ceiling, they'll weep silently into the small print and wonder how the actual fuck they ended up this way.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3BQVf9UC9j06OxP7rkCdTLpXo0HQhgAD97ooBifgobEJ0Zg9PGDNyaDn5IlZJug8nSxI5oepaWuvW8MTT7dflDNS_ZuKPPD5L6Gg2oPbdQQ3M_ucGLQcOKhIIUZXVpyNTwYqut_Ss77_/s1600/ChristmasRobin-500x500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3BQVf9UC9j06OxP7rkCdTLpXo0HQhgAD97ooBifgobEJ0Zg9PGDNyaDn5IlZJug8nSxI5oepaWuvW8MTT7dflDNS_ZuKPPD5L6Gg2oPbdQQ3M_ucGLQcOKhIIUZXVpyNTwYqut_Ss77_/s1600/ChristmasRobin-500x500.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh my... I feel... Uurgh...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At least they have the dubious pleasure of having kids and company on this the most glorious day of the year for there are thousands who'll be sitting in alone also wondering how the fuck they ended up that way. With little to look forward to except a ready meal for one and a constant barrage of American made-for-TV feel-good schmaltz delivered by unbearably cocky shiny-faced robot children and their pastel-shaded adult minders. Sitting with the lights off while a kaleidoscope of TV colour plays across that third bottle of wine they promised themselves -because no other bugger is there - they wouldn't open.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziY7KP0BB1GEbmH8PvCtFANK4YGDLGiEwspk-WpBICX2NRPfhcN7feghtHBiKw86b2gRIDgOuv7HxhpNnUuGxIB9XTPkdMYpLFyh0nOwv2Drp1hINtGSj-mvl8SFlmNO_SC5Ocx8oBll1/s1600/family_guy_barfing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziY7KP0BB1GEbmH8PvCtFANK4YGDLGiEwspk-WpBICX2NRPfhcN7feghtHBiKw86b2gRIDgOuv7HxhpNnUuGxIB9XTPkdMYpLFyh0nOwv2Drp1hINtGSj-mvl8SFlmNO_SC5Ocx8oBll1/s1600/family_guy_barfing.gif" height="145" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah Christmas, its here again...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That last gasp of madness takes the form of <a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/saltire-replaced-by-union-flag-in-john-muir-salute-1-3642008#.VJqcQuMCPTx.twitter" target="_blank">this</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTtz-nA9KqASHvN0fa9VJCwSzRZ9wplVUGpbwRW3F1YHAvGF1Ly-2xcSs6aDCWRBjJyUIia9a5YW17zvn59gTjOCrGBOumyk3vMO9sCiVxIEypNnakQFAp1a9lWedWfplc-XjzRWxmYM9/s1600/zzzz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTtz-nA9KqASHvN0fa9VJCwSzRZ9wplVUGpbwRW3F1YHAvGF1Ly-2xcSs6aDCWRBjJyUIia9a5YW17zvn59gTjOCrGBOumyk3vMO9sCiVxIEypNnakQFAp1a9lWedWfplc-XjzRWxmYM9/s1600/zzzz.JPG" height="380" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the Edinburgh Evening News.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just so we all know where we stand with this; I don't really care about flags - but I do care about hypocrisy & double standards; plus, who doesn't like highlighting a spot of good old fashioned fuckwittery from time to time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those two flags have prosaically flown above Dunbar Town House for the past seven years and no one gave a toss - the purpose was and presumably still is to symbolise a well remembered link between the town and its most famous son (John Muir) who moved to America and persuaded presidents there to create the US National Parks service in order to preserve wild spaces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But hold on, community council member Gill Wilson backed the decision to swap the Saltire out with a Union Flag - she lectured:</span><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: OpenSans-Regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: OpenSans-Regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> “So much has been said about whether we should fly the Scottish flag or the Union flag that really I could write a book about it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: OpenSans-Regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
“I’m English and I feel the Union flag should fly because we haven’t separated. There wasn't a Yes vote in the referendum."</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Presumably mistaking the referendum result as a dissolution of the country known as Scotland, she went on to sputter:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">“It’s just so petty, it’s really not funny. It’s political, and community councils shouldn't be political.”</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hud the bus Gill; you're the one backing the change. The flags have been up there for years and no bugger said a thing about it until presumably you or someone like you decided the No vote meant you could be a colonist instead of a settler.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6ko1qAQRNAxI6Np5qBnppy8NQTMINXyBodcTUCDc0W3AQ3UBG4OPjfmEMRxBP2DMhreJ-4_idtfJ_h0IcexG1wyV7lsUMhej9NvMKrBWIZz8FDOQiqu8JhtjltSp2fpatX5qLREcQsuT/s1600/boy_muir_statue_dunbar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6ko1qAQRNAxI6Np5qBnppy8NQTMINXyBodcTUCDc0W3AQ3UBG4OPjfmEMRxBP2DMhreJ-4_idtfJ_h0IcexG1wyV7lsUMhej9NvMKrBWIZz8FDOQiqu8JhtjltSp2fpatX5qLREcQsuT/s1600/boy_muir_statue_dunbar.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Muir as a boy on Dunbar High Street - although not literally you understand; that's a statue.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It would be easy to become quite exercised by this, but you know how town councils are. You get one or two good people who genuinely care about the community, then you get those who are guilted or press-ganged into attending. Then you have the person my Mum always describes with the words; thurs' aeways yin.* </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his person hides behind the mantra 'I'm doing it for the community' when what they really mean is 'doing it for the kudos'. A pain-in-the-arse jobsworth who is unable to tell the difference between selflessness </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and selfishness - someone who after only minutes spent in their company you realise is a complete nutter. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone thinks this person is an arsehole, at each meeting they all hope this will be the gathering were someone snaps and tells this one hated individual to fuck off.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should say, I'm not suggesting Gill Wilson is that person, nope, not for a second.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its also a bit moot, anyone familiar with Dunbar has to know a Union Flag won't last long - not because its a hotbed of nationalism mind but because there are several pubs along the High Street. Those hostelries will no doubt be well used at this most festive time of year - possibly by persons black-mailed in to attending town council meetings - forced to listen to that one arsehole droning on about the font used for the meeting's agenda and who always has an infinite supply of A.O.B.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going back to the original digression, while its true to say I'm no fan of Christmas, I hope yours goes well. Its been a hell of a year and I hope for more fun & games in 2015. There might be another blog before New Year (I know, try to contain yourself) but it really depends on whether I open that fourth bottle of wine - I might need another ready meal for one to cushion the alcoholic blow...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* If anyone knows how to spell that, let me know - I could find no written record of the phrase. </span>pa_broon74http://www.blogger.com/profile/01915208411019621104noreply@blogger.com4